As part of Hospice Care Week 2026, St Nicholas Hospice Care is pleased to offer a free educational session exploring the importance of advance care planning and providing practical techniques for managing emotional or challenging conversations over the telephone.

Taking place on Thursday, 8 October 2026 at St Nicholas Hospice Care, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, these free-of-charge sessions combine two valuable learning opportunities delivered by our Practice Educators, Michelle Buono and Jo Hill.

ReSPECT Play

Through an engaging role-play scenario, attendees will explore the value of having conversations about future care wishes before someone becomes too unwell to communicate their preferences themselves.

The session highlights the importance of the ReSPECT (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment) form, an important part of advance care planning that helps ensure a person’s wishes and preferences are understood and respected should they become seriously ill or unable to make decisions about their care.

Suitable for health and social care professionals, volunteers, patients, families, carers and members of the public, the play demonstrates why these conversations matter and who can benefit from having a ReSPECT form in place.

Managing Emotional and/or Angry Telephone Conversations Training

This interactive workshop is suitable for anyone who feels they would benefit from greater confidence when handling difficult conversations over the phone.

Participants will explore:

• How to recognise emotional behaviours and triggers
• Practical de-escalation techniques
• Effective communication and active listening skills
• Approaches for managing distressed conversations while gathering important information
• Real-life scenarios and shared learning from experiences that have worked well, and those that haven’t

Session times

The programme will run twice during the day, allowing you to choose the session that best suits your schedule:

Morning session 

• 10.30am to 10.45am – ReSPECT Play
• 10.45am to 11.30am – Managing Emotional and/or Angry Telephone Conversations Training

Afternoon session 

• 12pm to 12.15pm – ReSPECT Play
• 12.15pm to 1pm – Managing Emotional and/or Angry Telephone Conversations Training

Venue

The Garden Room, St Nicholas Hospice Care, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 2QY

Book your place

All sessions are free of charge.

To reserve your place, please email education@stnh.org.uk.

Find out more