• Care At Home
• Commissioning
• Delayed Discharge
• Equipment and Adaptations
• Governance and Management
• Housing
• Integrated Transport with Care
• Intermediate Care
• Managed Care Networks
• Performance Improvement
• Reshaping Care for Older People
• Rural and Remote
• Talking Points: User and Carer Involvement
  • Background
  • Staff Development and Leadership Materials
  • Communication Skills
  • Outcomes, Enablement and an Assets Approach to Health and Wellbeing
  • Risk, Outcomes and Safeguarding
  • Sample Tools
  • Service Users and Carers
  • Organisational Development
  • Using Outcomes Data
  • Digital Stories
  • Evidence, Learning and the Community of Practice
• Telecare in Scotland

Communication Skills

Outcomes Focused Conversations

At the heart of outcomes based working is the engagement between the practitioner and individual service user or carer.

Practitioners have said that the outcomes approach involves building on and developing their communication skills. Staff have also said that in some cases, focusing on outcomes requires a different type of conversation. For example, developing an outcomes focused support plan can require a process of negotiation between the person, their carer and the practitioner, to agree achievable outcomes as well as the approach to be taken to achieving them. The approach might involve thinking differently from more service led solutions, to considering the role of the person, their family and community based or other different resources. It has been identified that the exchange model of assessment (Smale) is consistent with an outcomes approach.

In 2011, we worked with a range of organisations to produce guidance on outcomes-focused conversations. The guidance aims to support a shift from service-led assessment to an outcomes focus. Some organisations have written conversations reflecting the approach they are taking.

VOCAL Outcomes-based Conversations [39Kb]
TRFS Review [38Kb]

Communication Support

In 2009-10 we worked with practitioners and service users to develop resources to support inclusion of people with communication support needs. With Connect in Care we produced a resource to support reflection and practice development on Improving Communication around Outcomes. You can download the publication below (note: you will need to register with the Communities of Practice website in order to access the audio clips contained within the Community Care Outcomes library). There is also a DVD to support this resource. Please contact JIT for a copy.

Improving Communication Around Outcomes [291Kb]

With regard to specific communication supports, there is a wealth of materials available online. Communication Forum Scotland can be a good starting point for advice and resources. Communication Forum Scotland

While it is acknowledged that there is not one tool or approach that can be used with everyone to support communication, and it is about finding the right approach for each individual, it was also recognised that an innovative low tech visual communication framework, Talking Mats, has proved to be a powerful tool in helping people with a range of communication difficulties express their views. It uses a simple system of picture symbols and a textured mat that allow people to indicate their feelings about various options within a topic by placing the symbol below a visual scale. We worked with the Talking Mats team from Stirling Dementia Services Centre, to develop symbols to support Talking Points. The report on the pilot of Talking Mats and Talking Points is available here:

Talking Mats and Talking Points Report [705Kb]

Colleagues in North Lanarkshire are currently working on the use of Viewpoint to support user involvement in reviews across local authority social work services. Information will be shared as it becomes available.

Communication Support with Older People

The resources in this section were designed for use with older people but may be of wider interest.
The first is a guide for practitioners about communicating and engaging with older people and was produced with Lanarkshire Managed Care Network for Older People. It is not a comprehensive or exhaustive list of resources but a useful signpost with links to practical tools and resources for busy health and social care staff who support older people in a variety of situations, at different stages of the care pathway and in different ways.

Improving Communication and Engagement [419Kb]

There is also a very good minibook on person centred thinking with older people, produced by Helen Sanderson Associates. This is designed to capture what matters most to the older person, and to build on the important relationships in their life.

Person Centred Thinking with Older People [305Kb]