Woman-centred care, person-centred care, relationship-based care, personalised care, the 6 Cs including compassionate care—these are all central values of modern maternity policy in the UK. The words trip off our tongues and spill from the pen. But what do they look like in practice? What does it feel like to work in compassionate connection with others—not only those we care for, but also our colleagues? What kind of organisation will support compassionate connections between us?
NHS Education for Scotland has developed a practical and imaginative resource and approach that will help in developing compassionate connections. During a national conference to showcase compassionate connections—organised by Edinburgh Napier University and NHS Lothian and held in Edinburgh on 3 September 2015—Anne Holmes, Chief Midwifery Advisor and Associate Chief Nurse for Scotland, described the Compassionate Connections resource as a way of breathing life into the policy landscape, an approach that could reform and transform services, including the reduction of inequalities.
The resource and approach develops psychological safety and contributes to effective, reliable, woman-centred and family-focused care. It was clear that Compassionate Connections is an important part of the wider aspirations of Scottish policy: a better future for individuals and families and wide social development. It will help the development of relationships, empathy and understanding of others.
Compassionate Connections is a resource and learning guide that supports learning together through facilitation and reflection. It has been developed in the maternity services but is applicable in any public service. While focused on the compassionate connection between people, it integrates a reflective approach. The resource can be used in a number of ways, as part of longer periods of development or in short, sharp interventions for organisational development.
The resource is based around story worlds—evidence-based stories played out by actors using real-life scenarios. These support the development of understanding, confidence and capability in the delivery of compassionate person-centred care from a maternity perspective.
There are six themes around compassionate caring:
‘Compassionate care is fundamental to human-rights-based care, needed in our world now more than ever’
It is easy to see how these six themes, if put into practice, would lead to fundamental changes in the culture of services. Throughout the conference, delegates heard from those who had used the resource, applying it in adaptable and flexible ways. We were involved in learning through the resource. I found it challenging—walking in the shoes of a doctor providing care in a difficult situation, talking about it in a respectful group.
Compassionate care is fundamental to human-rights-based care, needed in our world now more than ever as we care for people from highly diverse backgrounds, with individual and different needs. Compassionate Connections is an inspirational and aspirational approach and resource, which will help develop personal agency in individuals, and a real sense of what compassionate care looks and feels like. It will be transformational to individuals and organisations alike—crucial if we are to turn rhetoric into reality.