NHS staff are being allowed to get together once a month to reflect on the stresses and dilemmas faced while caring for patients.
The Schwartz Center Rounds scheme is being run by the Point of Care Foundation and was announced by the Department of Health (DH) in June. The rounds have been piloted in the NHS by the King’s Fund since 2009.
The scheme, which originated in the US, was highlighted by the Francis report in the wake of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust scandal as something that could be potentially beneficial for the NHS to adopt.
It is being piloted over two years, initially in 15 NHS trusts, with the intention being to extend it to 40, said the DH.
The aim is also to pilot the trials within GP practices, district nurse teams and in the community.
