Person Centred Discussions

Person centred discussions

Person centred discussions is the ability to focus on the individual and actually hear what they are saying.

This pathway guides you through 2 scenarios and provide points to reflect on.

Please note that your computer must be connected to the internet while accessing this resource.
Although these scenarios are situated in Midwifery Practice the learning from these is applicable to all NMAPS.

Now look at the two versions of this conversation.

Scene / Picture / Description
Go to Scene 9 / Look at Mairi and Jason Story World.
At the Hospital Version 1

(1.48 minutes)
At the Hospital Version 2

(5.38 minutes) / This scene shows two approaches to facing a challenging situation with an aggrieved husband. Although this scenario does not involve a colleague the communication principles involved in this situation may apply.

This is a good example of a person centred discussion and demonstrates many of the skills we have in our “toolbox” especially the ability to listen, to work collaboratively, to generate trust and to negotiate.

These skills can be refreshed by going to the ‘Developing Skills – A Toolbox of Resources’ section

Scene / Picture / Description
Go to Scene 10 / Look at Mairi and Jason Story World

(5 minutes) / This scene involves a manager (Gail) giving feedback to a Midwife (Sue) about an incident that occurred the previous evening.

Sometimes we need to have challenging and difficult conversations with colleagues, either as a manager or as a peer!

Some questions for reflection:

To what extent is their conversation an example of effective collaboration?
To what extent does this conversation provide feedback and support for Sue?
What does this conversation reveal about the different priorities and concerns they have as midwives?
As the manager in this situation, what could Gail have done differently to manage this situation more effectively?
What options does Gail have to follow up on this conversation?

Her options may include:

Accessing the Post Registration Career Framework Support and Supervision resource to look at the type of support and supervision she needs. She may ask a peer to help support her or she may have access to action learning sets where she can discuss this incident in a non-threatening environment.
She may also access the toolbox of skills to reflect on her interpersonal and communication skills.
Another option would be to seek out her Supervisor of Midwives for support.

The Supervisor of Midwives would use a non-judgemental approach to support Sue reflect on this incident and identify learning from insights around her own actions and responses. The reflective log contained in the compassionate connections on-line resource can aid this process as can the Action Plan which will help her to identify her development needs.

The Supervisor can also guide her to the Support and Supervision section where Gail can access useful resources as a receiver of support and supervision.

From the manager Gail’s perspective, please reflect on the following questions:

What uncomfortable feelings does Sue’s experience of Jason the night before leave her with?
What sense does she make of those feelings?
What action does she take?
How does she use the opportunity of this conversation with Gail to share these feelings?
How does she respond to Gail’s feedback?
How is Sue left at the end of this conversation?
How is Gail left at the end of this conversation?
What could Gail have done differently to support or challenge Sue?
To what extent are Gail and Sue reflective practitioners?

As a provider of Support and Supervision, accessing the resources in this area of the Post Registration Website may help Gail to address any learning needs identified from the above reflection.Midwifery Managers also have access to a Supervisor of Midwives to support them in this situation.