What is the positive change that has emerged through new collaborations or partnerships during Covid-19 that your project is going to embed?

A compassionate care bundle was co-produced by staff and inpatients within an Acute Mental Health Inpatient Centre. It was implemented on one Ward in March 2020 and has resulted in a number of improvements such as increased compassionate care scores/positive real time feedback from patients, reduced number of incidents, reduced complaints and a significant increase in carer/family contact scores.

Feedback from staff suggests that the bundle enabled staff to focus on the patient and what was important to them during a time when there was a higher than normal turnover of patients and when the Ward faced a number of difficult and challenging situations as a result of Covid-19. The bundle acted as a daily reminder of what was important to patients and to contact their families and carers providing an update on their condition. Something which was of great importance during a time when visiting stopped and contact was limited.

What does your project aim to achieve?

The aim of the project is to scale and spread the use of a compassionate care bundle across the Acute Mental Health Inpatient Centre and to other Wards and Specialties within Belfast Health and Social Care Trust achieving 90% compliance with the bundle by December 2021.

Compassion has vast benefits for patients across a wide variety of conditions and it is argued that it can help reverse the cost crisis within healthcare.

Compassion has been linked with reduced blood pressure, pain, anxiety and reduced hospital stay. Research shows that there is a strong link between acts of kindness and clinical cost outcomes.

This project will measure the impact of a compassionate care bundle on the following:

• complaints
• incidents
• Length of stay
• Family/carer contact scores

Learning and improvements made will be share with the Q community via a report/poster presentation/infographic.

How will the project be delivered?

Compassionate care bundles will be co-produced by patients and staff. Input from both staff and patients will be gathered through the use of focus groups and feedback surveys. Bespoke bundles will be designed for each patient group and compliance with the bundle monitored on a daily basis. A clear process for completion and communication of the bundle will be agreed with staff in advance of implementation. A set of agreed behaviours will be displayed on posters/leaflets. Stickers will be displayed in patient notes where a bundle should be applied and badges designed for staff. Family and carer contact will take place through the use of virtual visiting where appropriate and updates with families will be monitored.

The impact on complaints, incidents, length of stay will be measured following implementation of the bundle. Staff and patient feedback will also be gathered.

The project will follow QI methodology through rapid cycle improvements

How is your project going to share learning?

The project has the potential to demonstrate valuable learning and evidence how compassionate care has vast benefits for patients across a variety of conditions and indicate how it impacts on clinical outcomes. Compassion for others can also have a direct positive effect on staff wellbeing which can be measured through the use of pulse surveys.