The value of Schwartz Rounds in a mental health NHS Trust

Mental healthcare is inherently relational. Our work is grounded in emotional connection, empathy, boundaries, and recovery. This can be deeply rewarding, but also profoundly draining.

As healthcare professionals, we’re often encouraged to reflect, to share our experiences, and to look after ourselves. But the pressured realities of clinical work, such as short staffing and high acuity, mean that structured time for reflection is usually the first thing to fall off the priority list.

Schwartz Rounds offer a unique protected space where staff can reconnect with meaning, compassion, and each other. As a facilitator, I see the impact of these sessions every time a roomful of people choose to pause, breathe, and speak honestly about the emotional landscape of their work.

Schwartz Rounds provide a confidential, multidisciplinary forum where staff come together to discuss the emotional and social aspects of caring for patients. They are not about problem-solving or clinical decision-making, and no personal information about our patients is shared. Instead, the focus is on stories, experiences, and the human side of care.

Whether you are a psychiatrist, nurse, clinical support worker, estates and facilities worker, psychologist, cleaner or administrator, you have a place in the circle to connect and learn. That inclusivity and equality is part of what makes Rounds so powerful in a mental health setting.

We have seen a number of key benefits from Schwartz Rounds at our mental health trust.

Creating psychological safety

 In environments where staff often navigate crisis, trauma, aggression, distress and loss, psychological safety is essential. Rounds foster a culture where saying “this was hard for me” is not a weakness but a strength. When colleagues hear each other’s stories, we normalise vulnerability and reduce shame.

Supporting staff wellbeing and reducing burnout

Burnout is an occupational hazard and should not be seen as a personal failure. Rounds help counterbalance the emotional intensity of mental health work by providing space for shared reflection on a human level. Staff consistently report feeling “lighter,” “more connected” and “less alone” afterwards. Over time, this contributes to improved morale and reduced compassion fatigue.

Enhancing team cohesion across roles

Our mental health teams are diverse, spanning clinical, operational, and support staff across two counties. Yet our roles often keep us siloed. Schwartz Rounds flatten hierarchy and bring together people who rarely have the chance to reflect as equals. Understanding each other’s challenges and motivations enriches teamwork and encourages mutual respect.

Improving patient care through compassionate practice

At their core, Schwartz Rounds strengthen compassionate care. When staff feel supported, they are more emotionally available to support others. The process of hearing real stories reminds us why our work matters and reconnects us to the values that bring us into healthcare in the first place.

Building organisational culture and resilience

Mental health trusts are under constant, immense pressure. Cultivating a culture where reflective practice is valued helps organisations weather change and uncertainty. Rounds signal to staff that ‘your emotional experiences matter, your wellbeing matters’. You are not expected to carry this work alone.

Over the three years we have been facilitating rounds at NSFT, the feedback I’ve heard has been strikingly consistent:

I didn’t realise others felt this way too”

This helped me understand my colleagues better”

It was a relief to say out loud what I’ve been holding”

I’m leaving feeling calmer and more connected”

These comments reflect the simple but profound premise of Schwartz Rounds: that speaking and listening with compassion is healing.

In the business of mental health services, it can feel difficult to justify taking an hour for reflection. But the truth is that Schwartz Rounds pay dividends. They help sustain the people who sustain the system. They remind us that behind every role is a human being doing their best.

For any mental health NHS trust striving to build a compassionate, resilient workforce, Schwartz Rounds are an essential part of the wellbeing infrastructure for staff, and further on, our patient care.

As a facilitator, I continue to be humbled by the courage staff bring to every Round. The willingness to share experiences, honour emotions and listen deeply, speaks to the heart of compassionate healthcare. In mental health services, where emotional labour is core to the work, Schwartz Rounds offer a vital sanctuary for collective reflection, connection and resilience.