Supporting someone affected by cancer calls for more than clinical expertise alone. TPC Health’s two-day programme helps professionals develop the communication, relational and facilitation skills needed to support people more effectively across the cancer pathway.
Our programme is aligned with the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) framework and its core cancer capabilities. It supports workforce development for personalised care and contributes to delivery of the Living With and Beyond Cancer agenda.
WHY THIS PROGRAMME MATTERS
Cancer is increasingly experienced as a condition people may live with for years, even when treatment is intensive or outcomes are uncertain. That means professionals are often supporting people not just through treatment events, but through a longer journey of adaptation, emotional adjustment, decision-making and recovery.
A coaching approach helps professionals respond to that reality. Rather than staying only in an expert or directive mode, practitioners learn how to create conversations that are more collaborative, compassionate and enabling. This can improve patient experience, strengthen self-efficacy, support shared decision-making and help people manage the practical and emotional consequences of cancer more effectively.
This is especially important in cancer care because conversations may involve:
WHO IS IT FOR
This programme is for staff who want to strengthen how they support people affected by cancer through more person-centred, psychologically informed and empowering conversations.
It suits professionals who are looking to:
THE APPROACH
A coaching approach helps practitioners work with the whole person, not only the condition. In cancer care, this matters because people are often navigating emotion, identity, relationships, daily life, treatment burden and difficult choices alongside their clinical care.
Strengthen personalised care
Move beyond a narrow focus on symptoms or compliance and engage with the whole person. Have more individualised conversations about goals, values, concerns, priorities and quality of life.
Supports agency and self-management
People affected by cancer often need support to regain a sense of control. Encourage realistic goal setting, active involvement and behaviour change around recovery, wellbeing, activity, nutrition, stress management and daily living.
Deepens emotional and relational support
Cancer care conversations are emotionally charged. Coaching skills help staff listen more deeply, respond with empathy and create space for concerns that may otherwise remain unspoken.
Improves decision-making
When people understand their options and feel able to participate in decisions, they become active partners in their care. Coaching supports shared decision-making and more meaningful treatment conversations.
Helps people live with and beyond cancer
Coaching is especially valuable during transition points, including the move from active treatment into recovery or long-term follow-up, and supports palliative transitions with sensitivity and clarity.
Benefits practitioners and services
Practical tools for advanced communication, behaviour change and emotionally complex conversations improve confidence, reduce frustration and strengthen workforce capability.
Tell us about your service and we will shape the programme around your pathway.
THE PROGRAMME
This two-day programme covers core coaching skills, with the learning and application firmly rooted in cancer care.
Coaching mindset and psychologically informed practice
Shift from fixing and directing towards facilitating, partnering and enabling, and see how that shift improves conversations across the cancer pathway.
Compassionate, empathetic communication
Communicate with empathy and confidence, especially when conversations involve fear, uncertainty, distress, complex choices or strong emotions.
Working with the emotional space
Recognise and respond skilfully to the emotional impact of diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, progression and change.
Goal setting and what matters most
Facilitate conversations that translate values and concerns into realistic, person-owned goals.
Shared decision-making
Help people understand options, think clearly about what matters to them and participate actively in decisions about treatment and care.
Self-management and behaviour change
Support people to identify priorities, build confidence and make meaningful changes that improve day-to-day wellbeing and quality of life.
Positive risk-taking and living well
Encourage people to live holistically and as fully as possible with cancer, without retreating into overly protective or purely problem-focused conversations.
Relationship-centred practice
Strengthen trust, rapport and therapeutic partnership through listening, curiosity, reflective questioning and a compassionate stance.
Applying coaching across the pathway
Use coaching skills in diagnosis, active treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship, long-term follow-up and palliative contexts.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
WHY TPC HEALTH
TPC Health has a strong track record of delivering coaching skills development for professionals working in cancer care. We understand the realities of the cancer pathway and the importance of tailoring development to the clinical, emotional and operational context in which staff are working.
Our programmes are practical, applied and designed for immediate use in both clinical and non-clinical roles. We can tailor delivery to your workforce, pathway priorities and service model.
This programme is available for internal delivery for:
We tailor the programme to your setting, your workforce and the kinds of conversations your teams are having every day.
Delivering coaching skills development with cancer alliances including
The programme is for professionals working across the cancer pathway, including specialist and secondary cancer services, primary care, rehabilitation and allied health roles, nursing and clinical support roles, social care, VCSE organisations, and cancer navigation, support and coordination roles.
The programme runs over two days, normally delivered one-two weeks apart. Learning covers core coaching skills with application firmly rooted in cancer care, from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship and palliative contexts.
Yes. The programme is mapped to the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) framework and its core cancer capabilities. It supports workforce development for personalised care and contributes to the Living With and Beyond Cancer agenda.
The programme is available for internal delivery for NHS Trusts, Cancer Alliances, primary care and community providers, hospices, VCSE organisations and integrated workforce development programmes. Delivery is tailored to your pathway, priorities and workforce needs.
Yes. TPC Health tailors the programme to your setting, your workforce and the kinds of conversations your teams are having every day, reflecting the clinical, emotional and operational context in which staff work.
Contact us to discuss a tailored two-day Coaching Skills for Cancer Care programme for your service, alliance or organisation.
