Compassion for everyone through caring conversations

Compassionate care is a priority in current international policy and research agendas and central to the quality of experience for patients, families and staff. However there is little evidence that identifies the processes... [ view full abstract ]

Compassionate care is a priority in current international policy and research agendas and central to the quality of experience for patients, families and staff. However there is little evidence that identifies the processes involved in delivering compassionate relationship-centred care. This paper focuses on the development of a practice based model that enables compassionate relationship centred care for everyone to flourish. This model suggests that people need to engage in the process of appreciative caring conversations that are courageous, connect people emotionally, foster curiosity, consider other perspectives, facilitate collaboration, help people to compromise and celebrate what works well. This helps to understand a) who people are and what matters to them; and b) how people feel about their experience. This then enables a process of working together to shape the way things are done.

This lecture will share the learning and outcomes of a number of projects that used appreciative caring conversations to:
• uncover practices that are known but rarely said;
• make real differences to people;
• develop meaningful practice based theory;
• support practitioners to have the confidence to be curious and provocative in practice which may mean refuting dominant ideology and political rhetoric.