ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author argues that it has been taken for granted that there has been insufficient recognition of the challenging work healthcare staff do each and every day and insufficient support for staff. Healthcare professionals and patients have long known that caring for patients well is not only the right thing to do, it also aids recovery and makes sense. One of our key finding is that in all settings it was not the wider organisational climate that mattered most to staffs evidence outside healthcare suggests, but that the local team climate is crucial-what our participants called 'family at work'. To deliver compassionate care staff need to keep in touch with their own humanity, which in a demanding busy environment is not always an easy feat. Creating a good work environment, really supporting, listening to and acting upon staff experiences is key to compassionate care for patients.
