Schwartz Rounds in the U.K. and Ireland
The Schwartz Rounds program has been active in health organizations across the U.K. and Ireland for more than 15 years, including acute, community, ambulance and mental health trusts, primary care, hospices and integrated care systems. We also work with higher education institutions, social services and other organizations with a high emotional burden on staff. Whatever your context, we’re here to help you get started — combining access to a global network of Schwartz sites with a team of U.K.-based mentors with deep roots in the NHS and Irish health and care systems.
170+
UK & Ireland sites
15+
Years of U.K. and Ireland experience
700+
Organizations worldwide in our global community
Our History
Developed by the Schwartz Center in the United States, the Schwartz Rounds program was introduced to the U.K. in 2009 by the Point of Care Foundation, a U.K. charity, and later spread to Ireland.
Since the closure of the Point of Care Foundation in 2025, U.K. and Ireland sites have received licensing, training and resources from the Schwartz Center, ensuring continuity of this vital program, and linking U.K. and Ireland sites into a wider global community of organizations committed to compassionate care.
The Unique Challenges of the National Health System (NHS) and the Health Service Executive (HSE)
Both the NHS and the HSE operate at extraordinary scale but under sustained pressure. Growing demand, combined with widespread staff shortages and long-term financial constraint, organizational mergers and change, have created a complex set of workforce challenges. Thousands of health and care workers have given their best care to patients thanks to the Schwartz Rounds program, which builds compassion and understanding among colleagues and strengthens the culture of health organizations.
Building connections: Led by Schwartz Center-trained local facilitators, each session focuses on a compelling theme or patient story. These gatherings create open, reflective spaces where clinical and nonclinical staff share experiences and build meaningful connections through dialogue.
Supporting staff in the face of burnout: High workload, staffing gaps, and ethical pressures contribute to distress across all NHS and HSE roles. The latest NHS Staff Survey (2025) found that 42.36% of the survey respondents had felt unwell due to work-related stress in the past 12 months and 35.05% found their work emotionally exhausting. Evidence shows that regular Schwartz Rounds attendees report feeling less isolated and better supported at work.
Working with systems of integrated care: In the U.K., Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) bring together NHS trusts, social care, and community providers across large geographic areas. In Ireland, the HSE’s six Health Regions — established under the Sláintecare reform program — bring hospital and community care together under unified regional leadership. The Schwartz Rounds program can be implemented at this system-wide level, offering reflective practice to tens of thousands of staff across partner organizations.
Adapting to resource constraints: The Schwartz Rounds program is designed to be cost-effective. Licensing is scaled to organization size, and the program requires no specialist clinical facilities — just a space, trained facilitators, and a commitment from leadership.
Training the next generation: A growing number of universities are running the Schwartz Rounds program for healthcare students. This helps to normalize the strong emotions that arise from clinical work during training, and enables students to have greater insight, compassion for and appreciation of the roles and work of other healthcare staff. The Schwartz Rounds program makes an important career-long contribution to interprofessional learning.
Beyond hospital settings: The Schwartz Rounds program has been applied beyond hospital trusts: in hospices, mental health services, ambulance services, primary care, social care, veterinary services and beyond. Any organization where people care for others can benefit.
The Business Case
This business case was created by our U.K. and Ireland community as an editable document that champions can use when obtaining internal buy-in for the Schwartz Rounds program.
Watch a Schwartz Round at Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals
In 2017, our partners filed a Schwartz Rounds session at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust. The full session lasted one hour – this is an edited version which aims to show what happens in a session. Following an introduction by the clinical lead, panel members give short presentations about experiences of caring for a patient (or patients). Members of the audience are then able to share their reflections, if they wish, through the facilitated discussion that follows. The facilitator helps to bring the discussion to a close.
Schwartz Rounds sessions are confidential. These proceedings were filmed with the prior agreement of participants in the understanding that the film would be shared here to help explain the nature of the program.
Sessions often tackle difficult emotional situations. This film deals with a particular case about a sick baby, which some viewers may find upsetting.
How the Schwartz Rounds program works in the U.K. and Ireland
The Schwartz Rounds model is standardized across all sites to ensure consistency and safety, while being adaptable to your organisation’s culture and context.
Facilitators receive dedicated training from the Schwartz Center. Support and mentoring from our regional team members, and a community of practice connect you to organisations across your country and internationally.
Ready to bring the Schwartz Rounds program to your organisation?
Additional Resources
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