Latest news

5 January 2017

The Nursing Times has just published a review on the benefits and barriers of ensuring patients with life-limiting diseases have advance care planning. Advance care planning allows people to be more aware of that they may die, consider their options, and make choices about their end of life care whilst they still have the capacity to do so. It also increases the use of palliative care services, which focuses on symptom management and can increase quality of life for the patient and their family.

The report highlights that despite the benefits of advance care planning, a recent survey found that only 5% of people have an advance care plan or living will. The barriers to discussing end of life include: the difficulty in initiating conversations; lack of clarity regarding which healthcare professional is responsible; determining when the discussion is needed; the worry about upsetting the patient; and knowing which documents to use to record the patient's wishes.

The review explains that it is important that nurses and doctors have the right training so that they can initiate and manage conversations about advance care planning. The SAGE & THYME for Advance Care Planning and End of Life Care workshop gives clinicians an evidence-based, memorable, structured approach that they can immediately use with their patients.

1 December 2016

Today we are launching our first Twitter campaign to promote the SAGE & THYME model and the SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop.  We will be posting daily tweets for about 3 weeks.

Please follow our campaign!

Our Twitter handle is @SAGEandTHYME_.  Please retweet our messages and use the following hashtags for comments and questions: #SAGEandTHYME and #SAGEandTHYMEtraining.

22 November 2016

The Nursing Times has published (on 21 Nov) two articles on listening skills for nurses: the first (part 1) describes how the SAGE & THYME model can be used as a 'satellite navigation system' to listen and respond to patients' concerns; and the second (part 2) provides exercises to practice listening skills for revalidation.  The articles were written by Mike Connolly, the lead developer of SAGE & THYME.

10 November 2016

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a guide to planning and implementing palliative care services, which puts communication skills at the core of such services.  The WHO recommends that communication skills training is received by: untrained and trained community-based volunteers, community health workers, hospital-based doctors and nurses for adult and children’s services,  paediatric auxiliary nurses, paediatric social workers, teachers, chaplains and neonatologists.

The SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop can provide the competencies needed by providing non-advanced communication skills training.

The sample curriculum for a 16 hour training programme for community volunteers suggests that they have 6 hours covering: basics of communication, breaking bed news, addressing emotional reactions and offering emotional support.  The SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop lasts only 3 hours and covers the basics of communication, addressing distress and concerns and teaches how to offer patient-centred emotional support.

24 October 2016

The Academy of Fabulous Stuff is devoted to sharing ideas and best practice in the NHS.  The aim is to make NHS services "better, quicker, safer, more reliable and cost effective".

The SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop teaches evidence-based effective communication skills regarding how to notice distress, hear concerns and respond helpfully and it is suitable for the whole work force.

The SAGE & THYME for advance care planning (ACP) and end of life conversations teaches senior staff how to open a conversation about dying, listen to patients, respond to their distress and support them using an evidence-based patient-focussed approach.

Both the SAGE & THYME foundation level and ACP workshops are now being disseminated around the NHS via the Academy of Fabulous Stuff web site.

10 October 2016

Recruiting and engaging patients in research, is a skilled activity because patients have worries and fears about their illnesses.  Researchers have set questions, but starting the conversation with patients and responding to worries, requires specific training.

The North West London Clinical Research Network commissioned some SAGE & THYME foundation level workshops for their research staff to attend.  The staff rated their willingness to talk to people who are emotionally troubled between 8 and 10 (out of 10) after attending the workshop and 84% said would recommend the workshop to others.  

Dr Gill Hood, Workforce Development and Patient Public Initiatives for the NWL CRN said: “We had had numerous requests to provide training on informed consent and communicating with distressed patients.  The requests came from all different types of clinical research staff and this course met the needs for all of them.  I have confidence in recommending it to other research networks.”

26 September 2016

The recording of the evidence behind each element of the SAGE & THYME model and also the impact of the SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop is now available.  The webinar was hosted by Dr Joanne Thomas and presented by Mike Connolly and Dr Simon Cocksedge.

To access the recording, please click here.

14 September 2016

We will be hosting our second webinar entitled 'Understanding the evidence behind SAGE & THYME foundation level workshops'  on Thurs 22 September 2016, 2:00-2:45pm.

The presenters will be Michael Connolly, Simon Cocksedge and Joanne Thomas.  They will be discussing the evidence behind each element of the SAGE & THYME model and also the evidence on the impact of the SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop.

31 August 2016

London Cancer, the Integrated Cancer System for North East and Central London and West Essex, promotes comprehensive and seamless cancer care for patients in its area.

This includes running a level 2 psychological skills training course for healthcare professionals caring for cancer patients.  The prerequisite for attending this course is that professionals have attended a SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop (which covers level 1 psychological support).

Dr Mark Barrington, Chair, Psychosocial Expert Reference Group for London Cancer said, “SAGE & THYME is a deceptively simple method for managing complex interactions with patients.  It helps professionals to show both that they care and that they value a collaborative approach to problem solving”.

28 July 2016

The SAGE & THYME for Advance Care Planning (ACP) and End of Life Care workshop features in the latest edition of the Innovage magazine (issue 14), published by Edward Centre for Healthcare.

Written by Mike Connolly, the article talks about 'knocking gently on the door' in order to open up conversations with patients and their carers about their future wishes and plans before they may lose the capacity to express them.  It also highlights two systematic reviews of the literature on the subject.

To read the article (page 10), please click here.

18 July 2016

The first ever live SAGE & THYME webinar was broadcast last week (14 July) by the SAGE & THYME Team.  It was aimed at SAGE & THYME facilitators and it covered choosing useful scenarios for rehearsals in the SAGE & THYME Foundation level workshop.

Over 50 people attended the webinar and stayed for the whole session.  Several facilitators sent the team positive feedback after the event.  A link to the webinar recording has been sent to all SAGE & THYME facilitators and key contacts.  It is also available from the trainer area of the website.

Elaine, Mike and Jo during the webinar

13 July 2016

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust's end of life care has been rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as 'outstanding'.  The Trust's commitment to providing high quality end of life care, includes ensuring that all staff involved in dealing with patients and carers, have the right skills.  It therefore runs the SAGE & THYME Foundation Level workshop  as part of its training programme, to teach staff how to recognise distress, and communicate with someone who is upset or has concerns, whilst providing basic psychological support.