Cultivating compassion through compassion circles: learning from experience in mental health care in the NHS

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the importance of compassion in health care and experiences of Compassion Circles (CCs) in supporting it, placing this into the national policy context of the National Health Service (NHS), whilst focusing on lessons from using the practice in mental health care. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper is a discussion of the context of compassion in health care and a description of model and related concepts of CCs. This paper also discusses lessons from implementation of CCs in mental health care. Findings CCs were developed from an initial broad concern with the place of compassion and well-being in communities and organisations, particularly in health and social care after a number of scandals about failures of care. Through experience CCs have been refined into a flexible model of supporting staff in mental health care settings. Experience to date suggests they are a valuable method of increasing compassion for self and others, improving relationships between team members and raising issues of organisational support to enable compassionate practice. Research limitations/implications This paper is a discussion of CCs and their conceptual underpinnings and of insights and lessons from their adoption to date, and more robust evaluation is required. Practical implications As an emergent area of practice CCs have been seen to present a powerful and practical approach to supporting individual members of staff and teams. Organisations and individuals might wish to join the community of practice that exists around CCs to consider the potential of this intervention in their workplaces and add to the growing body of learning about it. It is worth further investigation to examine the impact of CCs on current concerns with maintaining staff well-being and engagement, and, hence, on stress, absence and the sustainability of work environments over time. Social implications CCs present a promising means of developing a culture and practice of more compassion in mental health care and other care contexts. Originality/value CCs have become supported in national NHS guidance and more support to adopt, evaluate and learn from this model is warranted. This paper is a contribution to developing a better understanding of the CCs model, implementation lessons and early insights into impact.

Outcomes of psychological support skills training for cancer care staff: Skill acquisition, work engagement, mental wellbeing and burnout

“…Participants were also offered monthly, one‐hour group supervision remotely via video conferencing after completing the initial training day. By design, supervision comprised three 20‐min components: a self‐compassion care space, 21 discussion of a specific patient and associated issues, then deliberate practice of identified skill deficits.…”

Experiences of deliberate practice orientated psychological skills training for cancer care staff: Barriers and facilitators to learning and implementation in practice

“…A second training day was also offered 3 months after the initial day to update and consolidate learning, alongside optional monthly supervision sessions. Supervisions were 1-hour long for three-to-six participants and usually comprised of a self-compassion care space ( Clark et al, 2022 ), a case discussion focused on a specific patient, and deliberate practice of identified skill learning needs (see Supplemental Material 1 for further information on training and supervision delivery and content).…”