About the Project:
The story, purpose & values behind the work.
Meet the founder:
Welcome to the Caring Conversations Project.
Hello, I’m Roxie Sawtell, a Registered Nurse with 25 years of experience across health and care settings. My background includes adult and paediatric palliative care across hospice inpatient and community services, emergency care and, most recently, telehealth and school nursing. I am passionate about helping families and professionals’ approach difficult conversations earlier, with greater clarity, compassion and confidence.
My qualifications include a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Nursing (2008) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing with Distinction (2024). My last clinical role was as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Paediatric Palliative Care, where my work focused on communication, care planning, advocacy and supporting children and their families through serious illness, complex health journeys and emotionally challenging moments in care.
Alongside my clinical experience, the Caring Conversations Project is shaped by my own understanding of burnout, chronic illness and the importance of realistic support. This perspective reminds me that care planning and communication tools need to be practical, compassionate, and usable in real life - not just good in theory.
“I created the Project because how we communicate in the hardest moments can shape the entire experience of care”
Why this work matters:
I created the Caring Conversations Project to support clearer, more compassionate conversations around serious illness, complex care, future planning and emotionally challenging moments in care - especially when gaps in communication, support and practical resources leave people feeling overwhelmed or unsure.
As a Clinical Nurse Specialist with experience in palliative care across adults and children, I have seen how communication gaps can increase stress, uncertainty, burnout and care that does not always reflect what matters most. I have also seen the difference it makes when people feel informed, heard and supported.
The project is currently focused on creating practical, evidence-informed resources that support care planning, advocacy, shared decision-making and meaningful conversations between professionals and families. These tools are designed to help people feel more prepared, more confident and less alone when navigating complex care.
The longer-term hope is for Caring Conversations to grow into a sustainable project that can expand into further areas of support as capacity allows. At its heart it exists to help people communicate more clearly, plan with more confidence and feel better supported through some of the hardest moments in care.
Hello, I’m Roxie and this is why caring conversations matter to me:
Meet the person behind the Project: Nurse, mum, patient and professional overthinker.
Founder Roxie shares more about the experiences behind the Project: from 25 years in caring professions and life as a neurodivergent nurse to navigating chronic illness and healthcare from the patient side. Discover why she created The Caring Conversations Project and what continues to shape its purpose, values and resources.
Caring for those who care:
My own experiences have reinforced how important it is that the people providing care are supported too. Healthcare can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be relentless, emotionally demanding and difficult to step away from.
The weight of responsibility, repeated exposure to distress, complex decision-making and the pressure to keep going can gradually take a toll. Support, reflection, boundaries and opportunities to recover are not optional extras - they are part of sustaining compassionate, safe and meaningful care over time.
Professional wellbeing is therefore an important part of the Project’s wider focus. Alongside communication and care planning resources, we aim to share practical information and tools that acknowledge the realities of working in health and care settings and support people to look after themselves as well as those they care for.
Share Your Experience:
Have you used a resource from The Caring Conversations Project, explored our website or found something we've shared helpful?
We'd love to hear about your experience.
Your feedback helps us understand what's working, what could be improved and how we can continue creating practical, meaningful resources that support individuals, families and healthcare professionals.
If you're happy for us to share your words, your experience may also help someone else discover the support they need.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
We really appreciate you taking the time to help shape The Caring Conversations Project.
Your feedback helps us keep learning, improving and creating resources that make healthcare conversations more human.
Clearer conversations. Stronger voices. More human healthcare.
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