Study links NHS trust empathy scores to better patient and staff outcomes
7 reported
A new study has found that NHS trusts in England with higher empathy scores tend to have better patient outcomes, improved staff wellbeing, and lower spending on agency staff and external consultants. The research, led by Prof Jeremy Howick at the University of Leicester, is the first to rate NHS trusts based on an empathy score derived from data on organisational culture, leadership behaviour, and practitioner empathy. The study found that even small increases in a trust’s empathy score were linked to a greater likelihood of receiving a “good” or “outstanding” rating from the Care Quality Commission for effectiveness and patient safety. Higher-scoring trusts also reported less staff burnout and absenteeism, and spent hundreds of thousands of pounds less on temporary staff. The research has been submitted to BMC Health Services Research but has not yet been peer reviewed, and the authors note the study cannot prove causation. The top-ranked trusts included Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS foundation trust, Pennine Care NHS foundation trust, and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS foundation trust.
What’s reported
The study is the first to rate NHS trusts in England using an empathy score based on culture, leadership, and practitioner empathy.
For every 2.5% increase in empathy score, there was a 76% greater chance of a CQC rating of good or excellent for patient safety, and a 46% increase for effectiveness.
Higher empathy scores were associated with less staff burnout, lower absenteeism, and reduced spending on agency staff and consultants.
The average NHS trust empathy score was six on a scale of one to 10.
The research has been submitted to BMC Health Services Research and is provisional pending peer review.
The study cannot prove that increasing empathy causes the benefits, but the lead author said it is “reasonable to assert that it’s likely to be causal.”
Top trusts for empathy included Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS foundation trust, Pennine Care NHS foundation trust, and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS foundation trust.
Key figures
Prof Jeremy Howick, lead author, University of Leicester
Prof Jeffrey Braithwaite, health systems researcher, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Sources: The Guardian
