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Purpose:

This course supports staff to engage compassionately, confidently, and constructively with patients, families, carers, and staff following a patient safety event or complaint. It focuses on the relational aspects of learning response and safety practice, helping participants navigate difficult conversations, support psychological safety, respond with empathy, and involve people meaningfully in ways that are respectful, proportionate, and aligned with organisational values.

Why this course matters to organisations

Compassionate engagement is central to effective patient safety response, staff support, and public trust. This course helps organisations improve the quality of conversations after harm, strengthen involvement in learning responses, support restorative practice, and build confidence among staff managing emotionally challenging situations.

Doctor Using Laptop

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Approach post-incident or post-complaint conversations with greater confidence and compassion

  • Use practical communication strategies to support constructive dialogue

  • Involve patients, families, carers, and staff more meaningfully in learning responses

  • Recognise and respond more effectively to distress, emotion, and relational tension

  • Support a culture of openness, learning, and psychological safety

Format and duration

Available as a half-day, full-day, or tailored in-house workshop, delivered face-to-face or online.

Tailoring and follow-up

The course can be tailored to incident response pathways, complaints processes, patient experience priorities, or local restorative practice initiatives. Optional follow-up can include facilitated reflective sessions, team coaching, or case-based debriefs.

Medical Documents Signing

Intended audience

Suitable for clinical and non-clinical staff involved in patient safety, complaints, patient experience, governance, incident response, family liaison, and operational or clinical leadership roles. It is particularly helpful for those who need to meet with patients, families, carers, or staff after an incident or complaint.

Topics covered

  • Principles of compassionate and restorative engagement

  • Understanding emotional responses after harm, distress, or concern

  • Supporting staff, patients, carers, and families in difficult conversations

  • Involvement in learning responses and incident review processes

  • Psychological safety, empathy, and relational communication

  • Working with conflict, distress, and differing perspectives

  • Maintaining clarity, honesty, and professionalism in communication

  • Linking compassionate engagement with learning, trust, and improvement

Collaborative Team Meeting

Compassionate Engagement with Patients, Families and Staff Following a Patient Safety Event or Complaint

Specialist course focused on communication, relational practice, and compassionate involvement after harm, distress, or concern.

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