A Trusted Learning and Development Advisor
A Trusted Learning and Development Advisor
Supporting frontline staff while building capability across one of Victoria’s busiest health services
Northern Health provides care to one of Victoria’s fastest-growing communities, operating across a demanding hospital environment that includes emergency care, acute hospital services, mental health, specialist care and community health.
More than 30,000 of the patients it sees arrive by ambulance. Behind those numbers are thousands of staff working in complex, high-pressure situations every day.
Northern Health recognised that supporting its workforce required more than clinical expertise alone. Staff also needed strong communication, leadership, conflict-management and practical management skills to match the demands of the environment they were working in.
Northern Health engaged Preferred Training Networks to help build these capabilities across its workforce.
Hospitals can be challenging environments for staff. Patients and families may be frightened, frustrated, in pain or dealing with long and uncertain waits, and emergency departments can also involve intoxication, mental health crises, behavioural disturbance and people who are distressed or confused. Waiting times, pain, crowded or noisy environments, substance use and mental health conditions are among the factors that can contribute to conflict and aggression in emergency departments, and healthcare workers may experience aggression from patients, family members, visitors and bystanders as a result.
Preferred Training Networks worked with Northern Health across a substantial series of professional development programs, supporting staff in different roles and at different stages of their careers rather than focusing on a single topic. Frontline teams needed practical ways to communicate with distressed or aggressive people, leaders needed skills to manage performance and workplace conflict, and other staff needed the capability to manage projects, present information effectively and influence people across a complex organisation.
Some programs were delivered repeatedly, allowing Northern Health to extend important skills across different teams and build greater internal capability over time. By developing these capabilities internally, Northern Health strengthened both the organisation and its individual employees, building a workforce better equipped to communicate, lead, manage difficult situations and deliver care in an increasingly complex health environment.
A major focus of the partnership was helping staff manage difficult interactions confidently and professionally, particularly relevant in hospital environments where staff may encounter distressed patients, frustrated carers or family members, and people displaying aggressive behaviour. Training explored practical approaches to communication, conflict resolution, maintaining boundaries and responding constructively when emotions were running high.
This aligns with Victorian healthcare guidance, which places strong emphasis on communication and de-escalation as important elements in preventing and managing aggression. Safer Care Victoria’s work in emergency departments has also found that structured approaches to conflict prevention can improve communication between staff and patients and reduce some conflict events.
Northern Health’s investment went considerably further than managing aggression. Programs in project management, performance management, behavioural interviewing, facilitation, presenting and influencing helped staff develop the skills required to lead people, deliver projects and improve how work gets done.
This broader approach matters in a large health service. Clinical expertise remains central, but effective hospitals also rely on people who can manage change, communicate clearly, address performance issues, run projects and develop others. By building these capabilities internally, Northern Health was strengthening the organisation as well as the individual employee.
This helped move conversations away from:
“I understand you’re upset, but there’s nothing I can do.“
towards a clearer explanation of:
“I can see the wait has been really difficult. Here’s what’s happening, here’s roughly what to expect next, and here’s what I can do to help in the meantime.“
Not every difficult interaction could be prevented. Staff needed to be prepared for situations involving patients and families who were frightened, frustrated, in pain or dealing with long and uncertain waits, as well as behaviour linked to intoxication, mental health crises or behavioural disturbance.
The training helped participants practise how to:
The partnership extended beyond frontline aggression management into project management, performance management and leadership capability, addressing needs across different roles and career stages.
Several programs were delivered repeatedly, allowing Northern Health to extend important skills across different teams and build internal capability over time, rather than treating training as a single event.
The communication and de-escalation focus of the training reflects the emphasis Victorian healthcare guidance places on these approaches for preventing and managing aggression in hospital settings.
Facilities implementing new standards reported greater understanding from local patrons when managers clearly explained the rationale behind the changes.
It Addressed a Real Operational Need The challenge wasn’t simply about managing aggression. It was about equipping staff across the organisation with the communication, leadership and management skills that clinical expertise alone doesn’t provide.
It Was Built Around the Environment Training explored the practical realities of a hospital setting, including distressed patients, frustrated carers and the pressures that can contribute to conflict in emergency departments.
It Extended Beyond the Frontline Rather than focusing only on aggression management, the partnership also built capability in project management, performance management and influencing, strengthening the organisation more broadly.
It Was Delivered as an Ongoing Partnership Some programs were delivered repeatedly across different teams, reflecting Northern Health’s commitment to building capability over time rather than a single training event.
It Supported People at Every Level From frontline staff dealing directly with challenging patient interactions through to managers leading teams and employees responsible for projects, the training addressed real workplace demands across the organisation.
The challenge wasn't simply communicating a new policy. It was communicating change to people who believed the previous way of doing things was acceptable.
Examples and scenarios reflected situations employees could genuinely encounter in aquatic and leisure facilities.
Participants learned how communication choices could reduce resistance before an interaction escalated.
The aim was not to memorise scripts. Managers developed a structured way to approach difficult conversations across different situations.
Employees were better equipped to translate organisational requirements into explanations that made sense to community members.
David is an excellent training facilitator. He took the time to adapt examples that we could really relate to. He is an EXCELLENT listener! And he is really good at picking apart what individuals say (in a good way) and applying the training to situations we bring forward. As someone who rarely feels comfortable speaking up in a situation like this, his approach was very much appreciated.
Preferred Training Network developed a coaching training package that really met our needs and they made the contextualizing process so easy. Their customer service before and after was excellent and their trainer was refreshing and innovative and really knew his stuff. A pleasure to do business with.
Practical techniques for managing challenging behaviours including aggression, defensiveness and emotional reactions.
Approaches to identifying and resolving workplace and patient-facing conflict constructively.
Helping employees communicate expectations, changes and difficult messages with greater clarity.
Building the ability to influence outcomes and gain commitment without relying on positional authority.
Skills for managers to address performance issues and support their teams effectively.
Organisational change becomes considerably harder when employees are expected to communicate new standards without the skills or confidence to manage resistance.
Preferred Training Networks develops customised workplace training programs around the situations your employees actually face, from communicating policy changes and managing difficult conversations to conflict de-escalation and responding to aggressive behaviour.
