Seven practical tools to support dignity and compassion in care

Ensuring dignity and compassion in care requires commitment at all levels. But many of the most effective ways of making changes to improve patient experience of care start with simple steps. Here are seven practical tools which will help to explore and implement dignity and compassion in care.

1. Hello, my name is...

A national campaign founded by Kate Granger, a doctor living with terminal cancer, to encourage all staff to introduce themselves by name and profession when meeting a new patient. Kate says, ‘In my mind it is the first rung on the ladder to providing compassionate care.’

Find out more at www.hellomynameis.org.uk

2. Patient profiles

Helen Sanderson, CEO of Helen Sanderson Associates and Vice Chair of the International Learning Community for Person Centred Practices, says, ‘You cannot deliver personalisation without knowing what's important to the person, and how they want to be supported’. Helen suggests creating one-page profiles, with three key elements:

• an appreciation about the person
• what is important to that person from their perspective
• how to support them well.

One-page profiles provide a quick way of getting know someone, and sharing what’s important to them.

Find out more about creating one-page profiles

3. Patient stories

Gathering patient stories can give valuable insight into patient experience – and the experience of family members. Stories can be very powerful, deepening understanding of the overall patient journey, and patients’ perceptions of care. Interviews with patients can be conducted face-to-face or on the telephone, with current or recent patients.

Find out more about gathering and using patient stories

4. Patient and family-centred care

A quality improvement process that focuses on two parallel aspects of health care: care processes (the way care is organised) and staff interactions with patients and their families (human interactions). This evidence-based approach incorporates ‘shadowing’ patients, developing a shared vision for the ideal patient experience, and working through individual improvements.

A toolkit provides case studies, guidance on each step and improvement tools to use through the process.

Find out more: Read the Patient and Family-Centred Care Toolkit

5. Schwartz Rounds

An approach designed to help providers of health and social care develop their organisational culture and support staff by allowing time for staff reflection and sharing insights. The ‘Rounds’ bring together professionals to share lunch and then explore a workplace event, such as an incident involving a particular patient, or a theme, such as ‘when things don’t go to plan’. These often focus on non-clinical aspects of care. One team gives a short presentation on their experience and then their colleagues share thoughts and similar experiences, moderated by trained facilitators.

A range of benefits have been documented, including staff becoming more empathetic, more confident in handling sensitive issues and non-clinical aspects of care, and more open to expressing thoughts, questions and feelings.

Find out more: Read an interview with Jocelyn Cornwell talking about Schwartz Rounds or visit the Point of Care Foundation website.

6. Shadowing patients

An activity that involves accompanying a patient on their care pathway, observing and recording what happens, and seeking their feedback on each step.

Shadowing can, and ideally should, be carried out by staff in various roles, as each will bring a different perspective. It is an effective way of raising awareness of patient experience among staff members, and often highlights good and bad elements of the care pathway, which can then be shared with the wider team.

Find out more about patient shadowing

7. Value-based interviewing

Value-based interviewing is a technique used to explore work behaviours with someone applying for a job, helping organisations to recruit staff who share their values. It focuses on how and why the applicant has made certain choices in their work, and explores the attitudes and reasons underpinning their behaviour.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the first trusts to trial value-based interviewing. They are featured in our case study this month which includes their ‘Nine recommended steps to value-based interviewing’.

Find out more: Read Health Education England’s guide, How to Design and Deliver Structured Interviews for Values Based Recruitment