Compassionate Health Care

By Dr. Jason Oakley, University of Portsmouth. 

The University of Portsmouth was part of an NHS Education funded project to support newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in their first years of practice through the implementation of Schwartz Rounds. This exciting project involved four universities and six local NHS Trusts.

Schwartz Rounds are a way of creating the time and space for those working in often stressful situations to either tell or hear a story and then reflect up on that story and the feelings it invoked. They allow the participants to share in each others stories and the impact that they have, without looking for solutions.

At the University of Portsmouth Schwartz Rounds are now a value part of the support we offer our students and staff. The process of actively listening to a someone telling personal story is a powerful thing.