Depending on the kindess of others

Abstract

182 British Journal of Healthcare Management 2012 Vol 18 No 4 cooperation and the feeling of ‘kinship’ are, after all, notoriously difficult to measure. The book is divided into three parts. In the first section the authors point out that although kindness is an integral part of being human, not much attention is given to its promotion in the NHS. They argue that focusing on ‘kinship’ will improve health and healthcare and, therefore, efficiency. To build their case they use societal, political and biological evidence. They point out how poverty, inequalities and social division—all of which are marked by the absence of kinship—lead to poor health outcomes in society. A fractured society is an unhealthy society and in such a context social groups become more suspicious and frightened of each other and exhibit various manifestations of envy, and psychological defences against it, such as hostility. Research in a number of academic fields, including sociology, community psychology and public health suggest that social networks play a critical role on the health of individuals. In a society where social networks are not nurtured, the consequences for mental health look bleak. Conversely, the fruits of a therapeutic alliance built on kindness are positive, and encourage good health. The evidence Ballat and Campling provide points out that where a strong therapeutic alliance has been established, patients tend to get well quicker, remain within treatment programmes and get on better with the professionals working with them. The positive effects of kindness in patient recovery are backed also by the biological evidence. Numerous scientific studies have already shown that acts of kindness have a positive effect on the immune system and on the increased production of serotonin in the brain. They point out how warm, attuned caring in early life can turn genes ‘on and off’ and influence the way our brains develop. Underpinning this is ‘secure attachment’, which positively influences brain development in infants and leads to the ability to self soothe and help others. Adults who experience kindness also experience the release of chemicals such as endorphins and oxytocin, which are responsible for happiness and closeness. In what they call the ‘virtuous cycle,’ kinship and kindness bring attentiveness and attunement towards others, building trust and healing in the therapeutic alliance. In the second part of their book, they analyse the challenges for kindness within the NHS. They describe various psychological defence mechanisms we all use and their relevance in relation to our day to day work when we are confronted with difficult feelings in relation to patients, other professionals and the teams within which we work. When faced with an abusive drunk in A&E, an NHS professional can easily find themselves being prodded to react unconsciously through a primitive Pavan Joshi and Paul Foster on how in the book Intelligent Kindness, the authors argue the case for putting kindness at the heart of healthcare reform Depending on the kindess of others