TY - JOUR T1 - William Pickles Lecture 2014: <em>Cum Scientia Caritas</em> — compassion with knowledge JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 36 LP - 37 DO - 10.3399/bjgp15X683269 VL - 65 IS - 630 AU - Simon Gregory Y1 - 2015/01/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/65/630/36.abstract N2 - I take caritas to mean compassion; we could also consider it to mean charity, one of the three theological virtues. Through compassion, I would like to consider the virtues and values by which we live and practise. Events would have us believe that somehow in the NHS compassion has been lost. I suggest that it is not but that it needs to be supported.There are numerous reports of where compassion has been lacking in health care, with many recommendations for action. The Health Service Ombudsman commented that ‘these accounts present a picture of NHS provision that is failing to respond to the needs of older people with care and compassion’.1 To this we must sadly add the events at Mid Staffordshire as outlined by Robert Francis QC.2 Consider the patient narratives found within the Francis reports3 and Julie Bailey’s book4 through the lens of compassionate care. The inquiry found that the culture of the trust was not conducive to providing good care for patients or providing a supportive working environment for staff; problems included bullying and low morale. To which we could add many other cases: Winterbourne View, NHS Lanarkshire, Vale of Leven, Princess of Wales, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, and so on.When the Mid Staffordshire scandal broke it was asked, ‘How could clinicians pass on by on the other side of the ward?’ But can we all honestly say that we would have been the ward equivalent of the Good Samaritan? As professionals we must be the Samaritans; we must stand up for what is right.Do doctors lack compassion? I am not convinced that they do, but an accumulation of factors creates an environment in which compassionate care is overwhelmed.Re-disorganisationThe NHS exists in a constant state of flux with energy being invested … ER -