How do we sustain compassionate healthcare? Compassionate leadership in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Compassion is central to human wellbeing, benefiting those who give and those who receive it. Compassionate cultures in healthcare enhance staff wellbeing, learning and innovation, and reduce stress, absenteeism and errors, leading to improved patient outcomes. Compassionate cultures need collective, inclusive, compassionate leadership, good teamwork, compassionate design, and a shift from the model of the organisation as machine to one of the organisation as a living, complex system. Developing and sustaining leadership and cultures of compassion are key to the ability for healthcare organisations to provide safe, high quality, patient centred care, even at times of crisis. This is particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic which has created added strains to already-burdened healthcare systems in many countries.