Healthcare professionals must be perceived as caring

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7317.869

BMJ 2001;323:869 ( 13 October )

Letters

Healthcare professionals must be perceived as caring

EDITOR $---$ Kelley and Tucci outline several simple, well thought out, aspects to improving the experience of quality of care forpatients in the light of a North American report.¹

What is crucial to a perception of improved quality in the NHS is reinforcement of the perception by patients that healthcareprofessionals at all levels actually "care" for them individually.This can engender forgiveness for slight delays or minor discomfortsand appreciably aid the healing process. It is not a substitutefor quality, but it is a very important addition. All the mechanisticchanges necessary to ensure a robust clinical governance processin NHS trusts must be seen to complement the best human attributesof all staff that work in the NHS, not demoralise them. To careishuman.

Paul Buss, consultant paediatrician.
Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, Gwent NP9 2UB pbuss{at}doctors.org.uk