New research suggests 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 study, led by Professor Jeremy Howick at the University of Leicester, is the first to rate NHS trusts based on an empathy score derived from organisational culture, leadership behaviour, and practitioner empathy.
The findings indicate that even modest increases in a trust's empathy score are associated with a greater likelihood of receiving a 'good' or 'outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for effectiveness and patient safety. For every 2.5% increase in empathy score, the chance of a good or excellent rating for patient safety rose by 76%, and for effectiveness by 46%.
Higher empathy scores were also linked to better staff wellbeing, with lower rates of burnout and absenteeism. Financially, trusts with higher empathy ratings spent hundreds of thousands of pounds less on agency staff and locums. The average NHS trust empathy score was six out of ten.
The study comes amid concerns over a lack of empathy in some NHS settings, following the BBC's revelation of poor treatment at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust's maternity unit. Professor Howick noted that a lack of empathy can lead to avoidable harm, but emphasised that the study does not establish causation, though previous research supports a causal link.
Top-performing 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. The research, submitted to BMC Health Services Research, is provisional pending peer review.
