[Text] The Evelina Resolution Project supports families and health professionals to recognise and resolve conflict. It was launched in 2013 at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
Dr Esse Menson, consultant: The healthcare we provide for children is increasingly complex and it's an incredibly stressful time for families so there can be time when we're not communicating in a way that is effective. And now we're being trained to recognise it, to address it, so we can all focus on the needs of the child.
Sarah Barclay, project director: The Evelina Resolution Project is the first project of its kind in a children's hospital to really be focused on supporting families and health professionals where there are situations of conflict or communication breakdown. So, it's had two parts, one is a mediation service where we as independent mediators come in to support family and the treating team if there is conflict between them. And the other part has been offering training in recognising the warning signs of conflict to mixed groups of health professionals and giving them some really specific strategies in how to de-escalate and resolve situations. We're asking health professionals to step into the shoes of the families that they're treating. It's really switching that mindset from being professionals working within an institution and perhaps using the words that they use on an everyday basis which they may understand and maybe the families don't, and thinking what would it feel like to me if I was in that situation. Would I understand how I was being communicated with?
Dr Nicholas Hoque: I think it's changed my practice, where I work in intensive care there's lots of difficult conversations that we have with parents and as the medical team we go into those conversations and we have an idea of what we want to say, but we don't necessarily have time to think carefully about where the parent's coming from. So I think it was really valuable for me to think about those things and give people a bit of space to understand what I've said.
Claudia Rocha, staff nurse: I think training was very useful and definitely I would say I use it on a daily basis in a way where we have more open conversations with parents rather than a closed dialogue where we just make them yes-or-no questions. So I think it's good to sit down and think about these things and just put ourselves in families' and carer's and parent's shoes sometimes.
Dr Sara Hanna, medical director: And equally recognise what they might be seeing in our parents and their families and the way they're behaving which is not about them but about how they're feeling about their circumstances. We know that when conflict arises that's a real danger that the child is lost in everything. The main achievement has been supporting our staff and families to make sure we're putting the child at the centre of what we do.
Kath Evans, experience of care lead, NHS England: The Evelina programme I think have been pace setters, and how can really deliver great mediation training, great communication training fundamentally to teams. And what's been so wonderful to see is the evidence of the difference it makes. Getting communication with our patients and families right is absolutely critical. The time that we invest in achieving this upfront really does pay dividends.
[Text] Published research on impact of Evelina Training.
[Text]"The training was successful in equipping staff to recognise and de-escalate conflict. Six months after the training, 57% of respondents had experienced conflict, of whom 91% reported that the training had enabled them to de-escalate the conflict.
[Text] More than 1,100 health professionals have taken part in the Evelina training since 2013.
[Text] "A unique teaching session that in only four hours has taught me skills that I continue to use daily and I’m certain has allowed families to have a better experience under my care." Doctor.
[Text] "The training has been a key factor in the fact that I have not experienced and conflicts in the last few months. Early recognition of triggers has helped me avoid conflict developing." Clinical Nurse Specialist.
[Text] "Brilliant". Consultant Paediatrician.