Presentations from Managing difficult conversations: Family, intimacy and sense of self

• Managing difficult conversations: Family, intimacy and sense of self – 17th March 2026*
• Managing difficult conversations Health Professional Resource Hub

Catch up on the slides from part one here:

• Whose responsibility is it to have these conversations? – Simon Walker, Specialist Pancreatic Cancer Nurse, Pancreatic Cancer UK
• Breaking bad news – Phil Whelan, Pancreatic Nurse Consultant, Liverpool University Hospital
• Palliative care and end of life – Sinead Benson, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS

*Please note, this was a case-study led discussion session so there is only a small slide deck, watch the recording above to catch up on all the content.

• 09.00 – 09.25: Introduction and overview – Lynne McCallum Specialist Pancreatic Cancer Nurse, Pancreatic Cancer UK
• 09.25 – 09.30 Lived experience
• 09.30 – 10.30: Case study exploration and panel discussion
  • Dr Isabel White, Psychosexual Therapist, The Royal Marsden NHSFT, Perci Health Ltd & Maggie’s Edinburgh
  • The Revd Susan van Beveren, Head of Pastoral & Spiritual Support, Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
  • Sam Petrie, Psychotherapist, Maggie’s Edinburgh 
  • James Turner-Squires, Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Nurse Specialist, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• 10.30 – 10.40: How to look after yourself
• 10.40 – 10.55: Panel Q&A
• 10.50 – 11.00: Close

• Increase your understanding of the different areas of a person’s life a pancreatic cancer diagnosis can impact, and how to offer support
• Get practical tips to improve your communication and the support you offer
• Grow your confidence in approaching sensitive and personal conversations

These sessions are suitable for all health professionals who support and care for people with pancreatic cancer and are based in hospitals, hospices or in the community, as well as students.

You might be (though not limited to): a community nurse, A&E staff, acute oncology staff, ward nurse, CNS, dietitian, GP, practice nurse, oncologist or surgeon.   

Chair 

• Lynne McCallum, Specialist Pancreatic Cancer Nurse, Pancreatic Cancer UK 

Panellists:

• Dr Isabel White, Psychosexual Therapist & Director of Clinical Service Improvement, Perci Health Ltd
• The Revd Susan van Beveren, Head of Pastoral & Spiritual Support, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & Hounslow & Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• Sam Petrie, Psychotherapist, Maggie’s Edinburgh
• James Turner-Squires, Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Nurse Specialist, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Our events are mapped to the ACCEND framework. Find out more about ACCEND. 

This event supports the following ACCEND Capabilities in Practice: 

• 3. 2 Use advanced skills in listening and information-processing, alongside empathetic skills to assess, explore and respond to individuals’ complex needs and concerns
• 3. 3 Select appropriate language and media (including remote consultation such as telephone, skype, sign language, written etc) to facilitate effective communication and interactions with people affected by cancer
• 3. 4 Respond sensitively to individual preferences and needs, and uphold and safeguard individuals’ interests
• 4. 1 Actively listen to and communicate effectively with others, recognising that both are an active, two-way process
• 4. 5 Communicate effectively, respectfully and professionally with service users and carers at times of conflicting priorities and opinions
• 4. 6 Convey information and address issues in ways that avoid jargon and assumptions; respond appropriately to questions and concerns to promote understanding, including use of verbal, written and digital information
• 4. 8 Autonomously adapt verbal and non-verbal communication styles in ways that are empathetic and responsive to people’s communication and language needs, preferences and abilities (including levels of spoken English and health literacy)
• 4.10 Evaluate and remedy situations, circumstances or places which make it difficult to communicate effectively (e.g. noisy, distressing environments which may occur during home visits, care home visits or in emergency situations), and have strategies in place to overcome these barriers
• 4.11 Consult in a highly organised and structured way, with professional curiosity as required, whilst understanding the constraints of the time limited nature of consultations and ensure communication is safe and effective.
• 4.12 Adapt communication approaches to non-face to face situational environments e.g. phone, video, email or remote consultation
• 6. 1 Provide information and advice appropriate to the needs, priorities and concerns of individuals
• 7. 4 Access information from a range of resources, and use them to meet the individual needs of service users, translating clinically related topics into language which is understandable both for individuals to self-manage effectively and for the development of patient information
• 10.12 Deliver diagnosis and test/investigation results, (including bad news) sensitively and appropriately in line with local or national guidance, using a range of mediums including spoken word and diagrams for example to ensure the person has understanding about what has been communicated
• 24. 2 Engage in self-directed learning, critically reflecting on practice to maximise advanced clinical skills and knowledge, as well as own potential to lead and develop both care and services locally and regionally.