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December 2010 saw exceptionally harsh winter weather cause major water supply disruption for thousands of Northern Ireland’s citizens. Sustained low temperatures followed by a rapid thaw led to burst water pipes on an unprecedented scale, triggering a water shortage crisis that attracted global media attention. Government-owned Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) received severe criticism for their response to the incident. This article analyzes the reputational threat posed by the crisis and examines the image repair strategies employed by NI Water before, during, and after the event. The crisis was complex and dynamic, requiring a multistrategy response including bolstering, corrective action, mortification, and shifting the blame. However, this was ultimately deemed largely ineffectual since it was more operationally focused than consumer-oriented. The case study adds to the limited research in public sector crisis communication and illustrates how politics and the governmental organizational structure complicated the threat to NI Water’s image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Communication Skills Training (CST) is now mandatory for all students in UK Schools of Medicine. However, the extent to which all schools follow a similar curriculum is unclear. Aims: This paper reports the findings of a survey of CST teaching in all UK Schools and compares the findings with an earlier survey. Methods: A specially designed questionnaire survey was sent to all Schools, and this was supplemented by follow-up telephone interviews. Results: There is a high level of consensus across Schools about the aims and objectives of CST, its location within the overall curriculum, and how it is assessed. There is also a dedicated staff member specifically responsible for CST delivery in all Schools. A wide number of different specialisms also contribute to training. However, wide variations remain in CST pedagogy. In addition, several problems were identified in relation to the integration and operation of CST. Conclusions: While the paper identifies and delineates a typical or 'modal' model of CST in UK Schools of Medicine, it also emphasizes the importance of flexibility in this part of the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]