International Health Humanities Network: Health Care Area Blog Entries

There is an urgent need for compassionate design of healthcare services. The recent Francis Report in the UK highlights that the systems and cultures of care in some of our hospitals need to be overhauled. Quite aside from enhancing the management of healthcare services or revisiting professional standards, it would be timely to consider how the arts and humanities can help to create more friendly, warm and homely environments for patients and practitioners alike and soften the ‘production-line’ mentality and target-obsessed culture of modern healthcare.

• Crawford, P. (2013) Health & Social Care Reform. GovToday. Editor’s Feature. The NHS and the true meaning of compassion.
• The Guardian - Today in healthcare: Friday 8 February