The above quote goes on to say that compassion is a verb – not a feeling – so it is something we do not just feel. In nursing this means we must demonstrate compassion not just say that we are compassionate. This requires an element of critical thinking while we try to work out what is going on for a person in their lives and how we can help them to recover.

In a report by Berwick (2013)  A Promise to Learn A Commitment to Act – compassion was an important leadership skill in improving the safety and quality of care for patients following events such as the Mid Staffs tragedy. Leaders of clinical health care which all qualified professionals are, must demonstrate compassion and learning in all that they do and critical compassion will help them to do this. This means thinking critically and not taking things for granted what people tell you, exploring issues in more depth, looking for hidden meaning and reading between the lines. We should all be able to recognise when someone says they are “okay” – if they are not for example. We do this by asking more questions, observing their presentation and behaviour and asking others e.g. carers or colleagues what has changed. In this way we learn more about the person but also are able to decide professionally, how best to help them to recover.

Critical compassion also helps us to identify when something is not right, when people are in danger  or when people are likely to be harmed by others. We have a professional duty therefore to act compassionately using our knowledge and skills to keep people safe and to help them to grow. This applies to students and staff who we may also be guiding.  The NMC Code (2018)  identifies the importance of  critical compassion as an act by

1.1 treating people with kindness, respect and compassion

2.6 recognising when people are anxious or in distress and respond compassionately and politely

3.2 recognising and responding compassionately to the needs of those who are in the last few days and hours of life

The Berwick report states that we should stop blaming people for  previous tragic events as this prevents progress and learning, instead we should be constantly reflecting upon our practice. In doing so we are keeping in mind that if we ignore something, then we are also condoning it and that is not only unprofessional but also the direct opposite of what critical compassionate practice is all about.