Empathy training linked to workplace culture improvements in NHS maternity services 

More than three-quarters of maternity staff reported increased empathy after taking part in a workplace empathy coaching programme that also led to a series of wider wellbeing and culture changes within an NHS maternity unit. 

The programme, developed by the University of Leicester’s Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare and delivered alongside University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, supported 177 maternity staff during 2023 and 2024. 

 A questionnaire surveying the programme’s results showed that 76 per cent of staff said empathy had increased one month after completing the training. 

Nearly all (91 per cent) of participants felt confident applying the learning in their work, while 86 per cent believed it would improve teamwork or patient care. 

Alongside the training itself, the initiative also introduced several workplace culture and wellbeing measures, aimed at improving staff experience and supporting more compassionate care delivery. 

These included staff recognition schemes, wellbeing support initiatives, improved staff spaces, learning sessions and more flexible working approaches. 

A new clinical director role was also introduced to help embed the changes across the maternity service. 

The programme comes amid growing focus across the NHS on workplace culture, psychological safety and compassionate leadership following national maternity reviews including the Ockenden Review and Kirkup Report. 

Over the same period, Care Quality Commission Maternity Survey scores linked to staff care increased from 8.0 to 8.3 out of 10. 

Professor Jeremy Howick, corresponding author of the study on the programme’s results, said the findings suggest empathy training can be strengthened when combined with wider organisational support. 

“We found that staff valued the training and reported greater confidence in applying empathy in their work,” he said. 

“This suggests that combining training with wider service improvements may help support more compassionate care.” 

He added that empathy should not be viewed solely as an individual capability. 

“Empathy is not only an individual skill – it can be supported by the systems and environments people work in,” he said. 

“Our findings highlight the potential value of taking both approaches together.” 

The researchers noted that the findings were based on staff feedback from a single NHS Trust and said further research is needed to assess longer-term impacts on patient outcomes and employee experience. 

The study also reinforces the view that there is a link between employee wellbeing, workplace culture and quality of care outcomes.