Sometimes the biggest breakthrough comes from what you take away, not what you add.
When we first launched We Can Talk, our mental health training programme ran for six hours. It seemed logical – mental health is complex, hospitals are challenging environments, and surely staff needed comprehensive preparation to feel confident supporting patients in crisis.
We were wrong.
The Problem with ‘More’
Despite delivering solid results, our six-hour training faced a persistent challenge: getting busy NHS staff through the door. Whether delivered in-person or online, ward managers struggled to release staff for extended periods. Healthcare professionals, already stretched thin, found it difficult to commit to lengthy training sessions. The very people who needed these skills most were the least able to access them.
We had created effective training that was practically inaccessible.
A Radical Redesign
Six months ago, we made a bold decision: strip everything back and rebuild We Can Talk as a focused, one-hour programme. This wasn’t about cutting corners – it was about surgical precision in learning design.
We identified the core skills that made the biggest difference to patient care and staff confidence. We eliminated everything that didn’t directly serve those outcomes. Every minute had to earn its place.
The Results Speak for Themselves
The data from our first two NHS trust partnerships tells a remarkable story. Comparing equivalent questions between our six-hour and one-hour formats:
Staff confidence in asking direct questions about suicide risk improved 48% in the one-hour training versus 38% in the six-hour version – that’s 24% better results in one-sixth of the time.
But the real breakthrough isn’t just efficiency – it’s effectiveness. Our streamlined training consistently delivers superior learning outcomes while removing the barriers that prevented staff from accessing training in the first place.
Why Less Actually Delivers More
Focus builds confidence. When training is laser-focused on essential skills, learners retain more and feel more prepared to apply what they’ve learned immediately.
Accessibility drives impact. One hour fits into a shift pattern. Six hours requires cover arrangements, planning, and often overtime costs. The result? Over 10,000 staff across two trusts are now being encouraged to complete our e-learning.
Quality over quantity. We discovered that the most transformative learning happens when content is distilled to its essence. Every element in our one-hour programme directly builds the confidence staff need to make a difference.
The Satisfaction Factor
Staff satisfaction tells the same story. Our current programme achieves an 97% recommendation score, with 80% of staff completing the training once they start. Comments like “After We Can Talk training, I feel more confident in knowing what to say and what not to say to someone struggling with their mental health” demonstrate that shorter doesn’t mean less meaningful.
Our experience proves that when you strip away everything that doesn’t serve learning, what remains is more powerful than what you started with. Sometimes the biggest innovation isn’t adding more – it’s having the courage to do less, better.
Training doesn’t have to be lengthy to be transformative. When every minute has purpose, one hour can achieve what six couldn’t.
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