Customer & Conflict Management 3.5-hour Workshop

Introduction

This workshop been developed to support front line staff and other health care professionals in General Practice to develop their skills and confidence to provide excellence in customer service, deal with disputes and to help manage challenging conflict situations experienced in practice. We will consider how and why conflict may arise between staff members and the patients or their carers around access to services, treatments and other aspects of practice life and will consider and reflect on ways to manage this.

The workshop will be interactive – delegates will be encouraged to share challenges and conflicts they have already encountered – our facilitator will also share their experiences from GP practice.

By the end of the workshop delegates will be able to:

• Understand the customers’ lived experiences and how lived experiences inform communication
• Understand how experiences of unmet needs and helplessness can lead to conflict
• Understand why we need to listen, respond and act on complaints
• Be clear about the NHS Complaints Process and their responsibilities
• Understand the main areas of complaints in practices
• Appreciate the processes that practices can implement to address issues that arise
• Define standards to deliver high quality service to avoid complaints
• Enhance their customer care skills through assertiveness
• Appreciate how difficult conversations can escalate and be managed
• Recognise barriers to good communication
• See the importance of excellent internal communication and the positive effect this has on service delivery
• Enhance awareness of their response to different conflict situations and personality types and the effect this can have when dealing with challenging situations
• Manage and understand the expectations, feelings, fears and needs of the patients
• Exhibit more confidence, motivation and control when dealing with challenging situations and conflict.

Slides handouts will be sent to delegates prior to this workshop and certificates of attendance are awarded after the workshop.

Programme

Introduction, Objectives, Why are we here?

Lived Experiences

• Secure and insecure attachments
• Adverse Childhood Experiences
• Biosocial theory of emotional regulation

The Role of Emotions

• Why do we feel?
• Managing emotions
• Widening the gap between thinking, feeling and acting

The position of the patient

• Family of Origin
• Roles and responsibilities
• Experiences of relationships

The position of the professional

• Unconditional Positive Regard
• Understanding and helpful
• Communication of worth, appreciation and value

Key Characteristics of Excellent Customer Service

• First Impressions
• Last Impressions

Complaints

• Understand why we need to listen
• Respond and act (also at Practice level)

• NHS Complaints Process and your responsibilities
• Main areas of complaints in practices
• Avoiding complaints

Assessing the situation as a team

• Risk and danger
• Coordinating the response
• Delivering the response

Management of Threat Responses

• Anxiety and the brain
• Deep breathing exercises
• Regaining composure

Communications

• Face to face communications
• 3 V’s of Communication
• Non-verbal Communications
• Great Communication
• Things to Avoid
• Professional Touches

Listening for Success

• Active Listening
• Open vs Closed Questions
• Context
• Risk Assessment – developing a safe environment
• Triggers

Conflict

• Escalate or De-escalate
• Managing Difficult Conversations
• Recognising the signs
• Assertiveness
• Take Action
• Things to Remember

 Patients

• Feedback
• Engagement
• Responsibilities
• Education
• Customer Care

Practical exercises

There will be interactive exercises throughout the session that will require the attendees to think about a situation that they have previously encountered and to think about how they deal with it and what they would do differently.

Q&A

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