Exploring the concept of “caring cultures”

Abstract

Clarifying concepts and terminology relating to "caring cultures" is essential for research to progress and the impact of culture on clinical practice to be better understood.

When ‘cultures of care’ meet: entanglements and accountabilities at the intersection of animal research and patient involvement in the UK

“…Nevertheless, growing talk about a culture of care is an interesting shift for it recognizes the absence, or marginalising, of care within professional logics of public management in human and animal health (Hobson-West & Timmons, 2016). Despite challenges in defining a culture of care (Gillin et al, 2017), consistent themes emerge. Commonly occurring is the idea a culture of care involves going 'beyond being compliant with applicable rules and regulations and strives to meet the full intent of established rules and regulation' (Brown et al, 2018).…”

“…The way care is understood, performed, and valued is being reshaped by these regulatory practices. Even whilst commentators criticize the broad ambiguity (Gillin et al, 2017 ) and narrow instrumentalization (Goodwin, 2018 ) of the concept of a culture of care, it is restructuring personal responsibilities and institutional accountabilities around care. The third is conjunctural.…”

“…The culture of care for patients and publics in UK health gained prominence in discussions following the ‘scandal’ of high mortality rates and poor quality care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust between 2005 and 2009 (Campbell, 2013 ). Care failings were attributed to the perpetuation of an ‘insidious, negative culture’ (Francis, 2013 ), which enabled ‘fear, bullying, acceptance of poor standards’, produced a ‘closed’ culture, and led to the prioritisation of business objectives over patients (Gillin et al, 2017 , p. 5217). The subsequent Francis Report recommended renewed ‘focus on a culture of caring’ (Francis, 2013 , p. 1695) in place of the culture of fear it found.…”

“…The Culture of Care Barometer was developed to assess local cultures of care within the NHS, measuring four key parameters: the values, culture, and communication of an organisation; the support and management available within an organisation; the relationships between colleagues; and the constraints shaping individuals’ abilities to do their jobs (Rafferty et al, 2017 ). Yet, ambiguity remains over ‘exactly what constitutes these newly coined terminologies, and the extent of their influence on patient care’ (Gillin et al, 2017 , p. 5217).…”

Measuring Stigma Cultures in Healthcare Settings: Development and Testing of a New Measure

“…The management of cultures of care is increasingly considered to be a key aspect of health system reform and interest in the concept of promoting more caring cultures has grown. (3) People with mental and substance use disorders experience considerable stigma when interacting with healthcare cultures. Recurrent themes include feeling punished, patronized, humiliated, spoken to as if they were children, being excluded from treatment decisions, and being assumed to lack capacity to make treatment decisions.…”