Professional development
Mon 1 Dec 2025 09:00-15:30
Online Course, 5 CPD Hours

Essential training designed to transform how healthcare professionals communicate with disabled patients by focusing on the individual - not the disability.

Led by the experienced and empowering Dr Tom Wells who was awarded an MBE for services to medicine and people with disabilities, this programme combines real-world insights, interactive discussions and scenario-based learning to deepen your awareness of disability in healthcare. Investing one day in this course will equip you with the skills and confidence to improve doctor-patient communication, foster respect and create a more inclusive clinical environment. 

Additional professional development opportunities are available - click here to explore more

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Improving Disability Communication and Inclusion in Healthcare
Online 5 CPD hours £299+VAT

5 hours of vital clinical skills: what you will learn

Are you committed to delivering more inclusive, respectful and person-centred care for disabled patients? This essential online training is designed to help healthcare professionals transform the way you communicate and engage with disabled individuals by:

  • Exploring the evolution of disability language and how it shapes care delivery and patient experience
  • Understanding how accurate clinical input can directly impact a patient’s financial future and access to support 
  • Challenging unconscious bias and recognising how hidden assumptions influence decision-making 
  • Building a disability-inclusive service that fosters better communication, respect and equitable outcomes

Designed for your convenience: join this NHS online workshop remotely

Gain practical techniques and valuable skills you can apply immediately in your daily practice:

  • Evidenced based learning: from an MBE awarded Medical Oncologist  
  • Interactive sessions: questions and concerns addressed with expert insight
  • Confidential peer discussions: share experiences and benchmark with colleagues in a supportive environment 
  • Agreed action plan: leave the workshop with the confidence to make the right changes

This course is available for in-house training

Available as a bespoke course to teams of 30+ people. Please do contact us if you would like this training delivered exclusively to your team, with the content developed to drill into the specific needs of your service. Please email Sarah Kemm or call 01732 897788 for further details.

9:00
Registration, technical support and networking opportunity
9:30
Introduction, instructions and course leader’s opening remarks
Dr Thomas Wells MBE, Medical Oncologist, Bristol and Weston Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Understanding disability language in healthcare
9:40
Exploring the evolution of disability language and its impact on care delivery
  • Evolution of disability language: from outdated labels to person-first and identity-first language
  • The role of accessibility and inclusive communication
  • Practical examples of respectful and effective communication
10:20
Questions and answers with Dr Thomas Wells
10:30
Interactive discussion: Exploring your service, rethinking communication and inclusion
  • What do you want out of the day?
  • What barriers are there in your service?
11:00
Screen break
Challenging unconscious bias in clinical decision-making
11:10
Understanding unconscious bias in healthcare
  • Examining how unconscious assumptions can influence diagnosis, treatment decisions and access to care
  • Exploring the impact of both visible and non-visible disabilities in clinical interactions
  • Practical changes to improve the consultation experience
11:50
Questions and answers with Dr Thomas Wells
12:00
Networking lunch
Supporting Patients to access financial support
12:40
Understanding how accurate clinical input can change a patient’s financial future
  • Why medical evidence is often the reason claims are rejected
  • Common mistakes by clinicians and how to complete effective PIP, ESA and UC statements
  • Case study: identifying patients who are eligible for PIP
1:20
Questions and answers with Dr Thomas Wells
1:30
Interactive discussion: Redesigning the system – what needs to change?
  • If you had the power to redesign your clinic or hospital to better serve disabled patients, what would you change?
  • What are the invisible barriers in your own services?
  • How can we advocate for lasting institutional change?
2:00
Screen break
Ensuring inclusivity in your service
2:10
Building a disability-inclusive service
  • Exploring how to adjust pathways, environments, and communication
  • Practical guidance on how to involve disabled voices in service design
  • Case study: showcasing cost-neutral adjustments that make a measurable difference
2:50
Final questions and answers with Dr Thomas Wells
Build an action plan
3:00
Interactive discussion: Embedding learning into practice
  • Share what small changes could improve communication, trust and inclusion in your consultations?
  • How can you bring this learning into your MDT meetings and staff training?
3:30
Close of day

Bringing a wealth of expertise and knowledge

Dr Tom Wells MBE is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and passionate advocate for disability inclusion in healthcare. Drawing on his lived experience of spinal cord injury and extensive clinical background, he offers powerful insights into how to improve communication with disabled patients. His unique perspective makes him an outstanding speaker on how to create a more inclusive and patient-centred clinical environment.

Dr Thomas Wells
Job Title:
Medical Oncologist
Organisation
Bristol and Weston Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Biography

Dr Tom Wells MBE, BSc, MB ChB, MD, FRCP is a consultant medical oncologist with site specialisations in breast cancer and cancer of unknown primary at Weston General Hospital, UHBW. When he started his consultant post in 2013, he was the lead consultant in developing the Acute Oncology Service at his Hospital Trust, which included management of cancer of unknown primary and relevant peer review. He was key in establishing the cancer of unknown primary MDT meeting with video-links between Weston General Hospital and NHS hospitals in Bristol (Southmead Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary) and he chairs this weekly MDT meeting. During his medical school training, he was permanently paralysed from the chest down due to spinal cord injury in 1992 and he has been keenly involved in disability initiatives throughout his professional life. In addition to his current NHS work, since 2009 he has been a medical tribunal member of the first tier tribunal (Ministry of Justice) in which he hears DLA, PIP and ESA appeals alongside a judge and disability-qualified tribunal member. He was awarded MBE for services to medicine and people with disabilities in the medical profession in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honor's.

Pricing Structure

  • £299+VAT - one NHS or Public Sector place
  • 4 for 3! Bring your team and get 4 places for the price of 3

Group bookings

You can benefit from NHS group discounts when booking across two or more courses. If you would like to make a booking across courses for one or more individuals, please contact our customer service team by clicking here.

To view the full list of up coming events click here. 

This course is available for in-house training 

Available as a bespoke course to teams of 30+ people. Please do contact us if you would like this training delivered exclusively to your team, with the content developed to drill into the specific needs of your service. Please email Sarah Kemm or call 01732 897788 for further details.

Commercial companies are also invited to sponsor this day. Please email Sarah Kemm for further details.

Reservations

You can reserve a no-obligation place whilst you apply for funding

If your funding has not yet been secured or you would like to hold your place with no obligation whilst waiting for your study leave to be approved, you can reserve your place with us. Please email the reservations team at SBK Healthcare with your details:

  • Booking contact: name, job title, department, email and telephone number
  • Event(s) to reserve for: title and date
  • Delegate details (for each delegate): name, job title, department, email and telephone number
  • Organisation details: name and address

Alternatively you can make a confirmed booking by emailing the above information to the bookings team 

How this online forum will work

Once you have booked your place, SBK Healthcare will correspond with you using the email address you provided at the time of booking. Within one week of the online training taking place, you will be sent final details of the course including a full agenda, programme timings and your Zoom joining instructions. This email will include a joining link that can be used to access the course.

If you have not received your email two days before your event, do check your junk folder then contact SBK Healthcare on 01732 897788.

Practice sessions are available. If you would like to attend a zoom practice session before the event takes place, please let us know by emailing bookings@sbk-healthcare.co.uk. You will have the opportunity to meet an SBK Healthcare staff member who will ensure you are able to access zoom, that your camera and microphone work and you are fully set-up for the day. This is optional but if you do wish to attend, please use the same device that you plan to use on the day.

On the day, when registration starts, you will be able to join the course by initially entering a waiting room when there may be a short wait. The forum will include screen breaks, as well as topic themed interactive sessions which will take place in the breakout rooms.

Click here to view the specially created 5-minute video that will walk you through how to get the most out of attending your SBK Healthcare interactive online forum.

Terms and conditions

Certification of attendance

A certificate for Continuing Professional Development will be given to every fully registered participant who completes the course, as a record of your continuing professional training and development.

Registration fees

You will be sent an instant payment option or invoice on registration. Your payment is required in advance. If your fee has not been received prior to the event, and you are not able to provide a PO or proof of payment, you will be asked to make a credit or debit card payment on the day.

Modify registration

To let us know if your details are not correct when you have already registered, please email the bookings team.

Cancellations and substitutions

A full refund of fees will be made only for cancellations received within the first 48 hours of the booking being made. Notice of cancellation must be received in writing by emailing the bookings team at SBK Healthcare. Should you need to cancel your registration after this date, the registration fee remains payable in its entirety although a substitution will be accepted and conference documentation will be provided. Substitution attendees for delegates unable to attend after registering are acceptable at any time.

Event changes

It may be necessary for reasons beyond the control of the conference organisers to alter the content, speakers or the timing of the programme. We will endeavour to keep you abreast of such changes but any unavoidable change to the format will not constitute a reason to refund the fee. Should the event be postponed, we will endeavour to reschedule the event. If, for reasons beyond the control of the conference organiser, the event is cancelled, a full refund will be made. We do not accept any liability for any incurred costs resulting from a postponement or cancellation.

Privacy notice

To view the details on how your data is being collected and used, please view our Privacy policy

Expected attendees

This online training is ideal for NHS professionals supporting disabled patients across Acute Trusts, Community Services and Primary Care. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Consultant Physicians and General Practitioners
  • Speciality Doctors and Registrars
  • Nurse Practitioners and Advanced Clinical Practitioners
  • Specialist Nurses and Nurse Consultants 
  • Midwives and District Nurses
  • Allied Health Professionals 
  • Clinical Psychologists, PWPs and Psychiatrists
  • Clinical and Community Pharmacists

If you have a team that is 30 people or more, you can have a bespoke course delivered online to your team alone. Please contact Sarah Kemm or telephone 01732 897788.

Past attendee feedback

This online study day follows on from a history of crucial and successful workshops that have enhanced health services across the UK. But don’t take our word for it, check out some of the feedback:

"Extremely informative, some good ideas to take forward into our area”

Providing Personalised Care and Support Planning, November 2023

"Really enjoyed the course, lots of ideas and getting things into action"

How to Build a Successful NHS Business Case, January 2024

"Great, very engaging"

Enhance your Oncology Nurse-led Telephone Triage Assessment, February 2025

"Presentations were very engaging and inclusive facilitation"

Compassionate and Supportive Leadership Skills, November 2023

“Really useful - helping to solve real-world problems. Good to focus on what I would taking from it"

NHS Leadership Skills for Civility and Respect, November 2023

“Very clear and concise in his presentation. Engaging and informative"

Advancing your Clinical Research Practitioner Role, September 2024

“As always very well organised and fab speakers Paediatric"

Complex Needs: MDT Communication Models and Strategies, June 2024

View further comments on SBK Healthcare events on Trust Pilot.

Why sponsor?

Our role at SBK Healthcare is to bring industry together with healthcare professionals so that you can educate and inform your audience. These trail-blazing NHS delivery forums offer dedicated presentations, Q&A, networking and discussion time, each sponsor will be fully immersed into the event and able to effectively engage with your NHS audience.

Interested in having your own event, managed by us?

SBK Healthcare also provides in-house forums. Working closely with you as the client we can research, produce, market and deliver the conference or online forum that best suits the audience and meets your goals.

Reach out today

If you would like more information on our sponsorship options an in-house forum or if you wish to discuss your needs and what solutions may be appropriate for your business, please contact: 

Sarah Kemm 

Contact: 01732 897788 

Email: sarah.kemm@sbk-healthcare.co.uk