Hospitals in England ranking highly for empathy ‘have better patient outcomes’

‘Empathy helps patients because they feel listened to,’ said the study’s lead author. Photograph: sturti/Getty Images

Patients and staff fare better at hospitals that rank highly on empathy, research suggests, with institutions also benefiting financially by spending less on agency staff, locums and consultants.

The finding comes from the first study to rate NHS trusts in England according to an empathy score that is drawn from information on the organisation’s culture, leadership behaviour and practitioner empathy, among other factors.