Compassion and the NHS: The Role of a Compassionate Nurse
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Compassion and the NHS: The Role of a Compassionate Nurse
IRAS ID
139139
Contact name
Emma Hollywell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City University London
Research summary
Following high profile failings of Stafford Hospital in providing quality care to patients the NHS has identified that some nurses lack fundamental attitudes to care (Care Quality Commission, 2012). Robert Francis QC stated that it was “a story of appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of people“ (2013, February 7). These controversial findings have led the wide scale debates within the NHS about how to address these issues.
Despite strong emphasis on compassion by the Prime Ministers Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery in England, a clear definition of compassionate care in the context of nursing care is not stipulated, leaving what constitutes this somewhat ambiguous and open to interpretation. It is therefore, unclear how the NHS will assess their success in delivering compassionate care in future. This research is in response to the request by NHS England (2012) to “develop measures of care to help us learn, improve and highlight the positive impact on the people we care for” and aims to operationalize the concept of compassion in healthcare achieved through a quantitative research study. The first part of the research gathers views on what constitutes compassionate nursing by interviewing up to 30 individuals for approximately 30 minutes who are either nurses or patients within various University College London Hospital departments. This along with research from existing literature about compassion will be developed into a measure that identifies the behaviours of a compassionate nurse. This measure will be validated by surveying a minimum of 250 nurses and 250 patients within UCLH Trust.
It is hoped that findings from this research may influence evidence based practice within the NHS and guide the development of interventions to promote compassion within healthcare, helping to ensure frontline staff receive the guidance and support they need to achieve these aims.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0162
Date of REC Opinion
31 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion