Seen, heard, believed: Improving healthcare outcomes for women

Join the Royal Society of Medicine’s (RSM) Patient Safety Section in partnership with the Resident Doctors Section Seen, Heard, Believed, a national conference exploring how listening to women can improve healthcare outcomes. The programme will examine how women's experiences, concerns and priorities can be better understood and incorporated into clinical decision-making.

Evidence from national reviews, inquiries and the Women's Health Strategy for England highlights persistent concerns about women feeling unheard or dismissed in healthcare. This conference will explore how effective listening, empathy and shared decision-making can improve patient safety, diagnostic accuracy, trust and clinical outcomes. Through expert presentations, patient perspectives and interactive sessions, participants will explore practical ways to ensure women feel seen, heard and believed.

Why attend?

• Hear from Dr Rosie Bennyworth, CEO of HSSIB, Emma Murphy, public and patient voice advocate, Amber Bennett Western, Research Lead, and Dr Rupa Joshi, Lead for Women's Health at the Health Innovation Network

• Examine findings from national reviews and the Women's Health Strategy for England and understand what the evidence tells us about the scale and impact of women feeling unheard in healthcare

• Understand how listening, trust and patient safety are connected, including the potential impact of missed or dismissed concerns on clinical outcomes

• Develop practical approaches to active listening, empathetic communication and shared decision-making

• Explore how lived experience, patient feedback and awareness of bias and cultural assumptions can inform clinical practice and support more equitable, person-centred care

Aims of the event

• Develop understanding of listening as a core patient safety skill.

• Explore how women’s lived experiences and priorities can inform clinical decision-making, shared care and improvements in patient experience and outcomes.

• Provide practical approaches to active listening, empathetic engagement and meaningful patient involvement.

Learning outcomes
By attending this conference, participants will be able to:

• Describe the national context and evidence surrounding women's experiences of healthcare

• Explain how communication and listening practices can influence patient safety and healthcare outcomes

• Apply practical active listening and empathetic communication techniques in clinical encounters

• Identify strategies to improve shared decision-making and patient involvement

• Recognise personal and organisational barriers that can prevent effective listening

• Identify actions that can be implemented in their own clinical settings to improve patient experiences and outcomes

• Apply patient feedback and lived experience to identify and implement meaningful improvements in care.

Register