Overview

We aim to show Care Navigators and other first point of contact staff, the benefits of initially ‘probing’ to identify the reason for the request for an appointment or call back. True Care Navigation encourages non-clinical staff to determine what is best for the patient, using good communication skills and engagement to ensure callers are satisfied with the solution offered by the Care Navigator. This may include signposting outside the service or management of the request by a non-clinical member of staff. If probing is done effectively, it can result in a huge proportion of appointments requested being diverted elsewhere.

If face to face consultation or a call back is required, it is then important that the Care Navigator can determine the urgency to help prioritise the patient and navigate to the right level of care to help facilitate the right outcome for patients. The ability and skills needed to communicate effectively on the phone are often underestimated. Rapport, trust and confidence, linked with an ability to sympathise and understand the context for the patient, will increase the ability to arrive at a mutually agreeable outcome.

The training will provide delegates with the skills and understanding required to communicate effectively and to provide information on how to deal with those patients who can be difficult, demanding or frequent service users.

The session will include experiential learning through participative activities to demonstrate how and when to use the skills and strategies discussed, group exercises, quizzes and discussion. Please note we do not use role play, as this has been found to be too unsettling for staff who are not used to this method of training.

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand what Care Navigation is and why this is needed
  • Understand the differences between face to face and telephone communication
  • Explore the importance of the initial ‘probing’ to facilitate accurate sign posting and prioritisation
  • How to identify and overcome some of the barriers to communication
  • Understand what active listening is and what this can achieve
  • Learn how to identify different behaviours and how to manage them
  • Signposting and what this means
  • Prioritisation and what this means
  • Examine a call process to facilitate best practice
  • Managing telephone emergencies

Training Programme

  • Look at what we need to become ‘Care Navigators’
  • The changing role of the Receptionist
  • The importance of initially ‘probing’, understand what’s ‘signposting’ and what’s ‘prioritisation’
  • Communication skills – what’s needed to communicate effectively
  • Identify and overcome barriers to communication
  • Understand what is really meant by active listening
  • What makes someone a difficult caller?
  • How to you manage a difficult caller behaviour
  • Best practice in a call process
  • Managing emergencies
  • Who to navigate to – Signposting and Prioritisation exercises
  • Summary