Robin Youngson, a consultant anaesthetist for Waitakere Hospital in Auckland, is the driving force behind the health care reform campaign Compassion in Health Care. 

In 2008 he presented his organisation’s manifesto to the UK National Health Service, during the Futures Debate series, and within months many of his key initiatives had been integrated into government health care policy.

The Centre for Compassion in Healthcare is dedicated to restoring caring and compassion as core values and daily practices for all health professionals and institutions in New Zealand.

The under lying values of the reform campaign stem from Youngson’s belief that “health practitioners enter their profession with a genuine desire to provide caring and compassionate service to patients and families.”  But due to economic and bureaucratic restraints, “the evolution of our health professions and institutions has […] limited the expression of that humanity and compassion”.

With limited resources Youngson observes that “there doesn't seem to be time to care”.  To add to this endemic problem: “Healthcare professionals who previously enjoyed high status and unquestioning authority now feel beleaguered and threatened”.

What is more, Youngson suggests: “It’s hard to feel compassionate if you think that your patients are enemies who are just looking for the opportunity to complain or to sue”.  

However, Youngson is committed to reform and outlines the action plan of his organisation in simple, pragmatic terms.

The Action plan:

-    Declare ‘compassion’ as a core value.

-    Reward rather than punish compassionate caring.

-    Hone communication and relationship skills.

-    Provide space for staff to discuss difficult issues.

-    Challenge models of professionalism.

-    Hard-wire new behaviours.

-    Declare compassion as a management and leadership competence.

-    Engage health consumers in the change.

Youngson’s advice to health care workers is: “Cast aside your fears and learn to connect deeply with your patients, [when you do this] you will discover a renewed joy and satisfaction in your practice.”

For further information on the campaign visit: http://www.compassioninhealthcare.org