The value of compassion in healthcare is both proven and undeniable, write Prof. Brendan Kelly and Dr. Caragh Behan. Most healthcare professionals and healthcare managers are profoundly aware of this, often based on our own experiences of receiving compassion from others, our recollections of witnessing compassionate care in our workplaces, and our deeply human awareness of the intrinsic healing that compassion commonly brings.
Despite this, we sometimes struggle to translate our compassionate intentions into actions that are always truly compassionate. There are many reasons for this, operating at several levels, but there is much that we can do to deepen compassion.
Our efforts as individuals and teams always occur in specific contexts. For clinical professionals, that context is often a healthcare organisation such as an acute hospital, public health system, or other healthcare provider. While many of these organisations have compassion as a stated value, systemic factors sometimes impede the attainment of compassion. This is especially true in larger organisations which can become bureaucratic, depersonalised, and – at times – apparently lacking in compassion.
This is not necessarily a reflection on anyone who works in healthcare organisations, but rather a consequence of the mass systematisation of healthcare services. Sometimes, organisational efficiency appears to come at the cost of humane, compassionate care. In our new book, ‘Handbook of Compassion in Healthcare: A Practical Approach’, we argue that this need not be the case, based on growing evidence about the nature, neurobiology, and impact of compassion in healthcare.
Sustaining Compassionate Healthcare Organisations in the Face of Challenges
Many of the difficulties with compassion in healthcare relate not to generating compassion in the first instance, but to sustaining it in the face of challenges and complexities. Everyone working in clinical care and healthcare management seeks to be compassionate, but we are worn down by workloads and the emotional intensity of the suffering we encounter. Many of us start the day with plenty of compassion, but by lunchtime we are struggling to survive. What can we do, as individual clinicians and as organisational managers, to sustain compassion in these challenging circumstances?
Clearly, individual resilience is important at the level of individual healthcare workers. In our book, we present evidence that an active focus on compassion promotes, rather than depletes, resilience among healthcare workers. But is there a research base to help us promote compassion not only at the individual level, but at the level of organisations and work cultures, too? Individual resilience and compassion are clearly relevant to our organisations, but what about the settings in which management and clinical staff work and are, too often, tested beyond their limits? What does the research say about the organisational context?
In our book, we explore research that looks at healthcare leaders’ and professionals’ perceptions of compassionate leadership. The key themes which emerge are (i) treating each person as an individual; (ii) facilitating safe and open communication, and (iii) healthcare managers being there for healthcare professionals – and vice versa.
These are not expensive measures. They are not technology-based or highly complex. They do not require high levels of investment, apart from time and commitment to make compassion a reality through thoughtful interpersonal interactions. These are very human values which accurately reflect the deeply relational nature of compassion. They also tap into compassion’s potential to unlock potential in other people – and in ourselves – through good communication and collegiality.
Steps Towards Compassionate Management in Healthcare Settings
Fostering a compassionate and effective healthcare environment involves a series of intentional, interrelated actions that can make a meaningful difference for staff, patients, and families alike. One of the most powerful ways to cultivate compassion is through leadership that models it in everyday behaviour. Supporting colleagues and team members is a key component. The demands of healthcare management and clinical work can be intense and relentless, making it essential to create conditions where staff feel valued and supported. This includes general collegiality, regular opportunities to talk together, encouragement of life-work balance, a general culture of care among teams, and access to mental health resources when needed.
Clear, open communication across managerial and clinical teams also contributes to a compassionate culture. Enabling dialogue across different roles, valuing diverse perspectives, and making space for staff to raise concerns or share ideas can improve morale and decision-making. At the same time, involving patients and families as active participants in care decisions enhances trust, strengthens therapeutic relationships, and ensures that services remain responsive to individual needs and lived experiences.
Teamwork and collaboration can thrive in environments that are inclusive, flexible, and resilient. When teams are supported to adapt to change, embrace diversity, and stand together through challenges, they are more effective and more compassionate in their delivery of care. Recognising and affirming compassionate actions reinforces a sense of shared purpose.
An often overlooked but crucial element is self-compassion. Acknowledging that healthcare work is emotionally and physically demanding – and that everyone involved is human – can help normalise the need for rest, reflection, and support. When self-compassion is embedded as a core organisational value, staff are more likely to treat themselves with kindness in difficult moments. This, in turn, strengthens their capacity to extend genuine compassion to others.
By weaving these principles into the daily fabric of management practice, healthcare organisations can build cultures that are not only high-performing, but deeply humane – supporting those who give care as well as those who receive it.
Dr Caragh Behan is a Consultant Psychiatrist and a Senior Clinical Lecturer with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Brendan Kelly is Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin and Consultant Psychiatrist at Tallaght University Hospital. Their book, ‘Handbook of Compassion in Healthcare: A Practical Approach’, is available from Cambridge University Press on an open access basis: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/handbook-of-compassion-in-healthcare/4B98BECD58FAA99F62F8C4B0BB39663D
