Consultation and Communication
Skills for Healthcare Professionals

The home of TALC (Teaching and Learning Consultation Skills) and Healthy English. 

What is TALC?
What is Healthy English?
Meet The Team
Testimonials
FAQs

Teaching and Learning Consultation Skills covers all aspects of the consultation.

The resources can be used independently by anyone who wants to learn, refine or improve their consultation skills. There are tried and tested methods to improve skills, as well as educational methods to support educators.

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Healthy English has been developed to help everyone who works with patients become a better user of English.

It addresses the language and communication needs of international health and care staff, their trainers and colleagues working in the UK.

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Online Resources for
Healthcare Professionals

Created by experienced educators with tried and tested methods

Select from Videos, Podcasts and Documents to help you develop

Personalised guidance to focus your development

Mark modules and track your progress towards expertise

Problem-solving search function

Educator Team

Dr Avril Danczak

GP and Medical Educator

Dr Mohan Kumar

GP and Medical Educator

Dr Anne Thomas

GP and Medical Educator

Dr Julian Tomkinson

GP and Medical Educator

Rob Chambers

Language and Communications Advisor

Development Team

Liam Jennion

Project Manager

Jamie Holden

Development Consultant

Nelson Vieira de Carvalho

Animator

Dario Saporito

Graphic Designer

Meet The Team
The resource is an excellent teaching aid to help trainees to develop their consultation skills. The way it is presented and broken down to target different elements of the consultation allows the trainer to work with their trainee on specific elements of the consultation they may be struggling with. It can by used within a tutorial setting or by the trainee alone to target their skills. Small group exercises are suggested which would be suitable for use in GP trainee groups and make discussions around consultation skills real and meaningful. I highly recommend this resource as an aid to helping your GP trainee develop their consultation skills.
GP Trainer
As a newly qualified GP with an interest in medical education and very little free time (like most GPs) I'm looking forward to using the TALC site as a regular dip in and out revision resource. The easily navigable layout and multimedia definitely appeal - I'll probably listen to podcasts whilst driving or making dinner and use the PDFs to aid supervision/feedback sessions with trainees and medical students.
Newly Qualified GP
I loved the phrases for understanding ideas and concerns and expectations… this links back to very human qualities of being a doctor…helping another human and doing so with curiosity. I particularly love the phrases for expectations. I would literally pay money for these phrases"
GP Trainee
My trainee thought the ICE chapter was wonderful and carries a highlighted version around with her. I've noticed her trying out a couple of your phrases in a video consultation in our tutorial which is brilliant
Clinical Supervisor
Love the PDFs. This will equalise GP training experience across the board
Newly Qualified GP
Teaching the nuanced consultation skills is really important to those professions new to primary care
Paramedic Advanced Clinical Practitioner
To listen to realistic and grounded advice and insight from other Healthcare professionals has helped me feel less alone and recognise the challenges I experience are less personal and also experienced and talked about by others. It has also helped me analyse these difficulties in a constructive and progressive way. For me the fundaments of my role as a GP are rooted in consultation skills and the complex and dynamic environment of a doctor patient consultation.
GP
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Frequently Asked Questions

Please e-mail [email protected] for all inquiries, questions, or assistance you might need. 

Liam Jennion is our Project Manager and can direct your e-mail to the right person. 

We believe that consultation skills are a valuable asset for all healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, advanced practitioners, allied health professionals, support staff, and administrators. Mapped to the Calgary Cambridge Consultation Model,
effective consultation skills can help you build strong relationships with patients and colleagues, facilitate effective communication, and improve patient outcomes. By developing your consultation skills, you can become more confident in your interactions with patients, better understand their needs and concerns, and provide more effective care. Additionally, consultation skills can help you navigate challenging situations and conflicts with colleagues, improving your ability to work collaboratively and deliver high-quality care. Overall, we believe that developing your consultation skills can be an essential part of ongoing learning and professional development for healthcare professionals at all levels and across all roles.

To register for an account on our website, follow these steps:

Click on the “Sign Up” button on our homepage and provide your personal details, including your name and NHS email address.

Tell us about yourself and your role. 

Pick the tags that represent the areas you want to learn more about. This will help us tailor the resources we recommend to you.

Watch our brief onboarding animations, which will provide you with an overview of our website and its features. This animation will help you get the most out of our resources and ensure that you can navigate the website with ease.

Once you have completed these steps, you will be able to access our full range of resources and take advantage of additional features, such as personalised recommendations and progress tracking.

To access our full range of resources, you must sign up for an account using your NHS email address. However, we offer a demo website that anyone can access to review the website and features. This allows you to see the types of resources we offer and decide whether our service is right for you. If you do not have a NHS account, please contact [email protected] to register your interest. 

Our resources are available free of charge to healthcare professionals who are part of the NHS. To gain full access and access to additional features, users must sign up using their @nhs.net email address. We also offer a demo website that anyone can access to review the website and features. If you do not have a NHS account, please contact [email protected] to register your interest. 

To use our resources, you will need a reliable internet connection and a web browser. Our platform is designed to be compatible with the most popular web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. We recommend using the latest version of your preferred browser to ensure the best user experience. While our platform is optimized for desktop and laptop computers, it is also accessible on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. However, some features may be better suited for use on a larger screen. You can also download resources to listen to offline and save for later use, as long as you are signed up. 

While we do not currently offer formal certification or accreditation for using our resources, we do provide tools to help you track your progress and use our service for your own Continuing Professional Development (CPD). You can track your completion of modules and activities within our platform, and use this information to demonstrate your commitment to ongoing learning and development. 

Yes, you can access our service on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. However, please note that while our platform is optimized for mobile use, some features may be better suited for use on a desktop or laptop computer. For the best user experience, we recommend accessing our service using a personal computer. However, we understand that healthcare professionals are often on the go and may need to access our resources from a mobile device. Therefore, we have designed our platform to be as user-friendly and accessible as possible on all devices. Whether you are at your desk or on the move, you can access our resources and take advantage of our features to support your ongoing learning and professional development.

If you are unable to find a resource that addresses your learning needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We understand that every healthcare professional has unique learning needs and goals, and we are committed to providing resources that meet those needs. While we cannot guarantee that we will have a resource for every topic or skill, we are constantly working to improve our service and expand our offerings. Your feedback is essential to our ongoing development, and we welcome suggestions for new resources or improvements to our existing offerings. So please, get in touch with [email protected] and let us know how we can help you achieve your learning goals.

Depending on the circumstances, we may be able to provide free access for a single user. However, please note that in order to qualify for a free subscription, we would need to understand why you want to sign up and how our resources would benefit you. It is also possible for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) or international organisations to access our resource. Depending on your organization’s needs, we offer a range of subscription packages, which may include a one-off payment for full access for your organisation. To discuss this option and to learn more about our subscription packages, please contact [email protected]. 

If you have found a bug, please support development by using this form. 

If you have any questions or concerns that aren’t addressed in the FAQ, please feel free to contact [email protected].