@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

Researchers develop first practical rules for empathic leadership in healthcare - and a course to teach them | News | University of Leicester

The study also sets out a course designed to put the empathic rules into practice.

Read more 👉 le.ac.uk/news/2026/ap...

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The research responds to findings from major NHS inquiries - including the Francis, Ockenden, and Kirkup reports - which identified failures in empathic leadership as a contributing factor in hundreds of avoidable patient deaths.

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📰 NEWS: Our team has been involved in a new study that offers the first-ever set of practical rules for empathic leadership in healthcare to address chronic deficits linked to preventable patient deaths in the NHS.

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@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

📰 Join our warm, curious community connected through monthly updates.

Our newsletter includes:

➡️ Latest courses & events
➡️ The latest news about empathy
➡️ Empathy publications with brief commentary
➡️ Information for academic visitors

📧 Sign up at tinyurl.com/stoneygate-n...

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

We're delighted to announce our director, Professor Jeremy Howick, has been shortlisted for The Conversation's prestigious Sir Paul Curran award for 2025 🎉

The winner will be announced next month at the Bayes Business School in London. Good luck Jeremy!

#empathichealthcare @uk.theconversation.com

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

Don't miss out on our free 1-hour webinar on Empathic Leadership: From Understanding to Action, designed for healthcare leaders, practitioners, educators and students.

📅 Thu 7 May 2026
⏰ 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM BST

Book now 👇
www.tickettailor.com/events/stone...

#empathy #healthcare

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

Clinicians who engage with creative empathy practices often report:

❤️ Better communication & listening skills
❤️ Greater sense of purpose & fulfilment
❤️ Reduced feelings of isolation & burnout
❤️ More empathetic patient care

🔗 Learn about our workshops: le.ac.uk/empathy/study

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

Have you signed up to our newsletter? March's edition included:

➡️ 6 innovative empathy courses & events
➡️ Details of the latest empathic studies
➡️ Empathy news article links

Plus... mailing list members receive a discount on many of our courses 🙌

📧 tinyurl.com/stoneygate-n...

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

More than 150 University of Leicester staff members were nominated for our Empathy Champions scheme by students during our first Empathy Fortnight 🙌

Nearly 30 nominees have been selected as champions for exemplifying what #empathy in #highereducation should look like.

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

📰 NEWS: Researchers – including members of our team - have carried out a systematic review which has concluded enhanced healthcare practitioner #communicationskills are associated with better patient adherence to treatment.

🔗 Read more: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

Why a social media ban for teenagers misses the point Banning social media bans won’t fix the problem. The issue is the smartphone.

So, the solution isn’t to ban u-16s from social media.

It’s looking at interventions to address the role smartphones play in everyday life.

👉 Read the full article by Professor Jeremy Howick from the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare: theconversation.com/why-a-social...

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4th problem: Smartphones play a big part in modern life 🤳

They play a big role in so many aspects of life, including:

➡️ Homework
➡️ Online banking
➡️ By organisations to connect with employees and clients

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3rd problem: Adults struggle with excessive smartphone use too 📱

This matters for teenagers because behaviour is learned by watching others.

A policy targeting teenagers doesn’t change the culture they’re growing up in.

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2nd problem: a ban would only address part of the issue 📵

Smartphones are designed to hold attention through constant notifications and rewards for interactions. Social media is one component of a broader smartphone ecosystem.

Targeting one app isn’t likely to solve much.

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1st problem: enforcement 👮

Teenagers have always found ways around rules and when it comes to social media, they are often more tech-savvy than the adults trying to restrict them.

Evidence shows when activities are driven underground, they often become more harmful.

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Would banning under-16s from social media protect their mental health?

It’s a popular idea and it's being proposed in the UK. But it might miss the real problem.

👉 A new article by Professor Jeremy Howick of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare explains why.

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@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

❓DYK we're running an Evidence-based empathy skills for healthcare practitioners course?

It will help healthcare professionals and trainees:

⭐️ Deepen #empathy skills
⭐️ Reduce burnout and improve wellbeing
⭐️ Improve patient outcomes

🔗 le.ac.uk/empathy/stud...

@uniofleicester.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

📰 Join our warm, curious community connected through monthly updates.

Our newsletter includes:

➡️ Latest courses and events
➡️ The latest news about empathy
➡️ Empathy publications with brief commentary
➡️ Information for academic visitors

📧 Sign up: tinyurl.com/stoneygate-n...

@ox.ac.uk @arc-em.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social