Introduction There is increasing emphasis in policy, research and practice in the UK and internationally on the importance of caring in health care. Compassion needs to be at the core of all healthcare professionals' practice. Recently, health care has received negative attention through media and government reports which cite a lack of compassion in care. Rationale The concept of compassion has received limited attention in community mental health nursing. Aim Based on data taken from semi-structured interviews with community mental health nurses, this paper aims to describe interpretations and perspectives of compassion to gain insight and development of its meaning. Method A naturalistic, interpretive approach was taken to the study. Semi-structured interviews with nine mental health nurses were analysed using Burnard's 14-step model of thematic analysis. Findings The research illuminates the complexity of compassion and how its practice impacts on emotional responses and relationships with self, patients, colleagues and the employing organization. Participants identified difficulties engaging with compassionate practice whilst recognizing it as a driving force underpinning provision of care. Implications for practice Mental health nurses need to be supported to work towards a greater understanding of compassionate care for clinical practice and the need for self-compassion.

As nursing develops to meet the changing needs and demands of the professional role, new challenges and opportunities arise. The need for innovative approaches to support nurses in meeting these challenges and seizing these opportunities has come into focus. NHS Education for Scotland has responded to this need and embraced the opportunity to support and develop nursing, through the Early Clinical Career Fellowship. This fellowship supports recently qualified nurses to develop their skills and leadership capabilities through masters-level study and increases the support structures around them. This article will discuss one experience of clinical coaching which was underpinned by compassion-based principles and will suggest further learning for nurses out with the fellowship or coaching role. The article will support the role of compassion as being not only central to direct patient care, but indispensible in creating positive relationships with our colleagues and effectively caring for ourselves.

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Kim Barron argues that pre-registration education for mental health nurses should prepare students in the use of emotional intelligence to understand and support service users.