A new elearning programme to help health and care professionals who support people with mental health needs by improving their communication skills to de-escalate difficult situations has been developed by Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) and HEE Global Engagement.
Communication Skills for the Mental Health Practitioner was originally developed as a face to face course for nurses in West Bengal, India and the pre-reading materials have now been re-designed into 4 online sessions comprising the following topics:
- Session 1: Principles and strategies in communication
- Session 2: Verbal de-escalation techniques
- Session 3: Reducing restrictive practice – communication during physical restraint
- Session 4: Reducing restrictive practice – communication during chemical restraint
The programme also features workshop materials for learners to access ahead of future face to face workshops.
It is intended that the elearning and teaching materials within this programme are used together to support experienced mental health professionals to deliver a 2 day training session – 1 day elearning and 1 day face to face training.
On completion of the programme, learners will understand the principles of communication and will have made plans about how to use these skills in their workplace.
For more information and to access the elearning programme, visit the Communication Skills for the Mental Health Practitioner programme page or email ge@hee.nhs.uk.