Latest news

14 May 2018

Dying Matters week is an annual event to raise the profile of talking about dying, death and bereavement. Giving a terminally ill person the chance to plan their end of life, allows them to indicate their wishes around their care when their condition deteriorates, in the event that they no longer have the capacity to make decisions, and/or the ability to communicate their wishes to others in the future. These wishes are recorded in an advance care plan.

Professionals responsible for discussing advance care planning with patients include GPs, senior nurses and social care staff. They often report that they don't know how to open such discussions and then structure the conversation, whilst supporting the patient with their concerns. The SAGE & THYME for Advance Care Planning (ACP) workshop teaches staff who have knowledge on the processes and procedures (e.g. Gold Standards Framework) around ACP, how to speak with patients.

9 April 2018

Listening to patients is a key part of their care in the NHS. Helping them to talk through their concerns can provide effective support, by allowing patients to think clearly and consider what might help them. Foundation level communication skills facilitate listening to patients and the SAGE & THYME Foundation Level workshop is believed to be the most widespread training programme teaching these skills - it is currently being taught in 1 in 5 acute, community, mental health, and ambulance Trusts in England.

1 February 2018

NHS Tayside adopted the SAGE & THYME training to complement their advanced communication skills programme.  The aim was to enable all staff in contact with patients, from a variety of backgrounds, to be taught how to listen to patients using a person-centred approach.

Nearly 100% of people who have attended the training would recommend it to others.  Staff, including healthcare support workers, say that they have more confidence in speaking to patients and carers about their concerns and show that they have learnt key aspects of effective communication.

To find out more about the benefits of the training to NHS Tayside, click here to go to the case study page.

15 January 2018

We're pleased to announce our second SAGE & THYME case study on how and why University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust adopted the SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop.  It also covers the challenges the Trust was facing, the benefits of the training and some tips for those organisations considering running the training.

Click here to go to the case studies page.

18 December 2017

Two new papers have just been published on the SAGE & THYME Foundation Level workshop by Dr Jane Griffiths at the University of Manchester.

The first, published in British Journal of Community Nursing, is an article entitled 'Person-centred communication for emotional support in district nursing: SAGE and THYME model'.

The second is a review in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing, entitled 'Communication in palliative care: the applicability of the SAGE and THYME model in Singapore', and was co-authored with Ang Seng Hick Martin (Singapore General Hospital) and Professor John Costello at the University of Manchester.

Click on the links above to read the abstracts.

5 December 2017

Princess Alice Hospice is one of the largest in the UK, with around 500 staff and 1,200 volunteers (including retail team and drivers involved in fund raising).  It has been rated ‘outstanding’ in all 5 domains of its last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.

SAGE & THYME was adopted by the hospice because, whilst advanced communication skills training existed for senior medical staff; there was nothing available for junior clinical staff and also non-clinical staff and volunteers who also come into contact with distressed (and sometimes bereaved) people.

Jane Berg, Deputy Director - Skills Knowledge and Research and SAGE & THYME facilitator says: “To use an analogy, teaching SAGE & THYME is like teaching first aid for people who are upset.”

13 November 2017

Hospice UK has recently announced that two types of Wolfson Foundation education bursaries are open for application: one is for care home nurses and healthcare assistants; and the other is for hospice staff (nurse, healthcare assistant, doctor, allied health professional, or social worker).

The aim of the bursaries is to provide education for staff that will lead to improving the quality of end of life care for their residents, patients and families.

The SAGE & THYME facilitator ('SATFAC') course is on the list of eligible courses for the bursary.

There is a limited pot of funding available for the bursaries so early applications for the funding are encouraged.

For more information on how to apply for a bursary, click here.

10 November 2017

A summary of the evidence of the impact of the SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop was presented as a poster at the UK Oncology Nurse Society in Harrogate today.

Mike Connolly, the lead developer and head trainer of the SAGE & THYME programme, attended the conference to present the findings and answer questions.  He also tweeted from @SAGEandTHYME_

1 October 2017

Today, University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (UHSM) joined with Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT), to form Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT).

We will be updating the web site and all SAGE & THYME documents with the new organisation name in due course.

26 September 2017

The lead developer and head trainer of SAGE & THYME, Michael Connolly, will be presenting a poster on SAGE & THYME at the UK Oncology Nursing Society (UKONS) conference on Friday 10 November.

The conference takes place in the Harrogate Convention Centre and the poster summarises the research evidence on the impact of the SAGE & THYME Foundation Level workshop on staff communication skills. 

10 August 2017

The annual SAGE & THYME study day is being held on Thurs 16 November 2017 in Manchester for SAGE & THYME facilitators, key contacts and potential new customers.  It will consist of a mix of presentations and discussions on:

• The first 10 years of SAGE & THYME training: establishing the credibility of the workshop and unlocking the training potential in the NHS - Mike Connolly, SAGE & THYME Team
• Establishing a facilitators’ forum across Northern Ireland – Denise Cranston, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
• Why hospices run the SAGE & THYME foundation level workshop - Andrew Kenwrick, Mary Stevens Hospice (Birmingham)
• Starting out with SAGE & THYME: things to consider - Robert Smith, Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• My two years as a facilitator – what I’ve learnt - Andy Wells, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
• Interactive discussion: choosing usable scenarios for rehearsals - sharing the ‘dos’ and the ‘definitely don’ts’
• Interactive discussion: things we know now, that we didn’t know when we started out – panel of morning presenters

11 July 2017

The SAGE & THYME training programme for teaching foundation level communication skills is now 10 years old.  Here's how it looks in numbers: