The ability to communicate effectively and sensitively is a core skill/competency for all healthcare professionals and perhaps even more so for those caring for people receiving end-of-life care (Ryan et al., 2014). Poor communication can impact negatively on both the person’s experience of care and the ability of the healthcare team to work effectively (Fellowes, Wilkinson, & Moore, 2004). In 2008, Milford Care Centre, a provider of Specialist Palliative Care for the Mid-West of Ireland, secured funding to develop Ireland’s first hospice-led advanced communication skills training programme. This programme is based on the Wilkinson model (Wilkinson et al., 2008) and is designed for all healthcare professionals (including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals) to: (1) increase their awareness of the importance of communication skills; (2) provide them with strategies to enhance their ability to elicit, and respond to, patients’ concerns; and (3) to deal more effectively with potentially difficult situations. The course uses actors as simulated patients, structured feedback and small group discussion in a safe, comfortable and non-threatening environment. No in-depth evaluation of the programme has, as yet been completed, despite new evidence on the effectiveness of communication skills training for healthcare professionals delivering palliative care. The current research aims to address this gap by conducting a retrospective evaluation of the programme during 2008 – 2016. The study findings will be appraised in the context of best practice in the field and will be used to inform the future development and delivery of the programme.
