NHS Expo and the 6Cs

5 March 2014

SAGE & THYME training was represented on the ‘Manchester: health is our business’ stand at the annual NHS Expo, which took place in Manchester on 3 and 4 March.

The conference covered a range of NHS issues including care and compassion and the 6Cs initiative being promoted by NHS England.

The 6Cs are: care, compassion, competence, communication, commitment and courage.  They were originally developed for nurses, but NHS England now hopes to expand the approach to the whole of the NHS workforce.

Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England, who presented the session on care and compassion, said that “listening and responding to patients" is key in understanding what patients and their carers need to support them.

The SAGE & THYME Foundation level workshop addresses four of the 6Cs: communication, competence, care and compassion.

Use of the SAGE & THYME model can make staff feel competent about their communication skills and help them to be more compassionate when listening and responding to a patient/carer about their concerns.  Hearing all of the concerns, allows staff to understand their patient better and provide improved person-centred care.