Communicating 'bad news' - challenging area of practice 

Chaired by Doris Corkin from the Specialist Care forum and led by various members of the Children and Young People forums, this event looked at the importance of communicating bad news to patients and their families. “Bad news can be simple and commonplace to nurses,” said Doris, “but it can be devastating to those involved”.

Delegates watched a compelling role play, acted by members of the Children and Young People: Care forum and student member Claire Lannon, which illustrated the importance of sensitivity, taking time and displaying empathy when communicating bad news. Pauline Tooley also shared her personal experience as the parent of a son with complex health needs, and described emotively the impact of communicating bad news in the right way.

Sue Dunlop, from the University of South Wales, played a short film on the subject produced by the University of South Wales which included contributions from nursing and police representatives.

Delegate questions included one around what busy nurses should do with not enough time to break bad news this slowly. The message was clear: “You don’t save time by communicating bad news badly,” said Doreen Crawford, a senior lecturer at DeMontfort University.

The event highlighted an upcoming RCN publication on the topic due to be launched in the coming year.