Compassionate mind training (CMT) was developed for people with high shame and self-criticism, whose problems tend to be chronic, and who find self-warmth and self-acceptance difficult and/or frightening. This paper offers a short overview of the role of shame and self-criticism in psychological difficulties, the importance of considering different types of affect system (activating versus soothing) and the theory and therapy process of CMT. The paper explores patient acceptability, understanding, abilities to utilize and practice compassion focused processes and the effectiveness of CMT from an uncontrolled trial. Six patients attending a cognitive-behavioural-based day centre for chronic difficulties completed 12 two-hour sessions in compassionate mind training. They were advised that this was part of a research programme to look at the process and effectiveness of CMT and to become active collaborators, advising the researchers on what was helpful and what was not. Results showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety, self-criticism, shame, inferiority and submissive behaviour. There was also a significant increase in the participants' ability to be self-soothing and focus on feelings of warmth and reassurance for the self. Compassionate mind training may be a useful addition for some patients with chronic difficulties, especially those from traumatic backgrounds, who may lack a sense of inner warmth or abilities to be self-soothing.

Aims and objectives To report the findings from interviews conducted as part of a wider study on interventions to support dignified care in older people in acute hospital care. The data in this study present the interview data. Background Dignity is a complex concept. Despite a plethora of recommendations on how to achieve dignified care, it remains unclear how to attain this in practice and what the priorities of patients and staff are in relation to dignity. Design A purposive sample of older patients and staff took part in semi‐structured interviews and gave their insight on the meaning of dignity and examples of what sustains and breaches a patient's dignity in acute hospital care. Method Thirteen patients and 38 healthcare professionals in a single metropolitan hospital in the UK interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and underwent a thematic analysis. Results The meaning of dignity was broadly agreed on by patients and staff. Three broad themes were identified: the meaning of dignity, staffing level and its impact on dignity, and organisational culture and dignity. Registered staff of all healthcare discipline and student nurses report very little training on dignity or care of the older person. Conclusion There remain inconsistencies in the application of dignified care. Staff behaviour, a lack of training and the organisational processes continue to result in breaches to dignity of older people. Clinical nurses have a major role in ensuring dignified care for older people in hospital. Relevance to clinical practice There needs to be systematic dignity‐related training with regular refreshers. This education coupled with measures to change the cultural attitudes in an organisation towards older peoples’ care should result in long‐term improvements in the level of dignified care. Hospital managers have an important role in changing system to ensure that staff deliver the levels of care they aspire to.

The discussion adopts a critical theory perspective to examine the contradictions confronting practitioners, patients and carers arising from hospital policies which promote cost-effective and efficient use of expensive technical resources while simultaneously seeking to identify and meet the needs of patients and carers for care.

The process of hospital discharge for medical patients: a model Background. The 1990 NHS Community Care Act established a requirement for hospital discharge policies and procedures in the United Kingdom (UK) to be developed in collaboration with local government authorities in order to ensure supported discharge for those in need. Aims. The aim of the study reported in this paper was to track decisions about hospital discharge in relation to outcomes for a sample of medical patients and their carers, identified as at risk of experiencing unsuccessful discharge processes. Methods. Themed unstructured interviews were conducted in three different hospitals with 30 patients identified as at risk of unsuccessful discharge and their carers pre-and postdischarge. Hospital, community and social care staff involved in the care of the patient were also interviewed. Findings. Patients and carers were constantly negotiating their social roles, seeking to juggle appropriate identities and limited resources to maintain their own and each others' dignity and quality of life. When the negotiation process was destabilized (for example, by exacerbation of chronic disease, withdrawal of some resource, or the experience of additional stressors -not necessarily health-related), then either or both parties sought a way out. In all the cases examined the result was admission to hospital -usually, but not always, mediated by community professionals. Conclusions. The effective discharge of patients from hospital needs to move from a functional focus on symptom management to a negotiation of quality of life that seeks to promote health for all parties involved.

This paper describes the use of the Delphi survey technique to develop a professional definition of nursing which is used as a framework for analysing the contribution made to care by learner nurses prior to the introduction of Project 2000. A detailed account is provided of the importance of generating a theoretical nursing perspective to structure the first round of the Delphi survey. The paper goes on to question the validity of developing a consensus about nursing priorities in subsequent rounds of the Delphi survey and argues instead that priorities about nursing care needs can only be determined in the context of practice.