Compassionate Care on older persons mental health wards.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Compassionate Care: Exploring NHS Mental Health Nurses and Nursing Assistants' Understanding and Experience of Compassion on Older Persons Inpatient Wards.
IRAS ID
296475
Contact name
Rebecca Richards
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of West England
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
The proposed research study aims to gain a greater understanding of mental health nurses and nursing assistants’ experience of working on an older person’s mental health in-patient ward. This study aims to explore nurse’s experience and awareness of their personal, professional and organisational compassion, and their views on how this may impact on patient care and job satisfaction.
NHS Wales state that compassion is a core value of health care (Wales.nhs.uk, 2020) and it can be defined as the emotional response to another’s pain or suffering, involving an authentic desire to help (Goetz, et al., 2010). Caring for the health and well-being of others is an intrinsically compassionate behaviour (West, 2017). Studies have identified what can happen without compassion within healthcare settings.
Interviews will be used to collect data exploring participants’ perspectives, and experiences of working on the older persons’ mental health inpatient wards with particular focus on personal and professional compassion. A semi-structured format gives flexibility in exploring this as well as providing space for unanticipated topics to arise (Braun & Clarke, 2013). With the current COVID-19 pandemic, interviews will be offered via various methods including in-person (face-to-face if permitted), virtually (video and/or audio) or telephone.
SBUHB currently has four older persons’ inpatient wards spread across two mental health hospitals. All four wards cater for people who are over 65 and either living with dementia and/or living with distressing mental health symptoms. I have received confirmation and support for this research project from the Older person’s nursing manager across the two hospitals. It is through the service managers that I have access to the ward managers whom will be essential in advertising and requiting participants. Once the ward managers circulate a summary and verbally advertise the study, staff will then contact me where I will provide them with a full information sheet and consent form.
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A