Staff Extranet / Culture, engagement and wellbeing / Values in Action / Compassion
Compassion2026-02-19T15:17:40+10:00

Compassion

We create a safe, nurturing environment where kindness thrives, and everyone feels valued and supported.

What is compassion?

At Metro North Health, compassion means more than just being kind. It’s about creating a safe, supportive environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued – no matter their background or circumstances.

During the 2025 Have Your Say (HYS) Survey, staff selected the following definition as the one that best reflects what compassion means at Metro North Health:

“We create a safe, nurturing environment where kindness thrives, and everyone feels valued and supported.”

This shared definition guides how compassion is expressed across our teams, services, and leadership practices.

How we bring compassion to life

Compassion is expressed in many different ways across Metro North Health, shaped by our roles, teams, and the communities we serve.

What unites us is a shared commitment to working respectfully, safely, and inclusively, in line with our values and the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service.

The examples below illustrate how compassion often shows up in everyday work and interactions across Metro North Health.

Compassion is reflected through everyday actions and choices that prioritise care, dignity, and understanding.

This can include:

  1. Showing empathy and genuine care
    • Demonstrating patience, kindness, and understanding in interactions
    • Listening to understand emotions, concerns, and needs
    • Being flexible and responsive when others require support
  2. Creating safe, supportive, and culturally responsive environments
    • Fostering non-judgemental spaces where people feel heard and respected
    • Acting with cultural humility and valuing diverse identities and lived experiences
    • Proactively checking in and offering support during challenge or change
  3. Supporting growth, accountability, and compassionate learning
    • Providing feedback with respect, dignity, and a focus on growth
    • Addressing issues constructively and fairly, while maintaining care and compassion

Compassion is often visible through small, consistent actions that help people feel cared for, respected, and understood.

Across Metro North Health, this may include examples such as:

 

In day-to-day interactions

  • Taking time to listen without interrupting and checking understanding
  • Adjusting communication to be culturally appropriate and trauma informed
  • Noticing when someone is struggling and offering practical help or a supportive check-in
  • Responding kindly when mistakes occur and supporting learning
  • Remaining calm and patient in high-pressure or distressing situations
  • Using inclusive, reassuring language that builds trust

Within teams

  • Beginning meetings with a brief wellbeing check-in
  • Sharing workloads during busy periods and supporting one another proactively
  • Establishing shared norms that foster kindness, empathy, and psychological safety
  • Approaching conflict with curiosity, respect, and compassion
  • Celebrating progress, effort, and achievements
  • Encouraging and valuing diverse perspectives

In patient and community care

  • Welcoming patients warmly and helping them feel safe and respected
  • Taking extra time with people who experience communication or cultural barriers
  • Listening with empathy and responding to emotional, cultural, and social needs
  • Advocating for those who feel unheard, unsafe, or disadvantaged
  • Using plain language and checking understanding
  • Providing reassurance during difficult diagnoses or transitions of care

Metro North Health strengthens a culture of compassion through initiatives that support safety, belonging, and wellbeing, including:

  1. Celebrating diversity

Through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability Framework and our Health Equity Strategy, we promote understanding, inclusivity, and respect for diverse experiences and culturally safe and inclusive care.

  1. Compassionate Care Principles

Co-designed with patients and clinicians, these seven Compassionate Care Principles guide the way we deliver care, train staff, and foster psychological safety across our services.

  1. Embracing flexibility

Flexible working arrangements support staff in balancing their professional and personal lives, helping create a workplace culture that values individual needs and supporting wellbeing and compassion in practice.

  1. Employee Assistance Services (EAS)

Staff and eligible family members can access free, confidential support from Telus Health, including coaching, mental health support, and wellbeing resources.

  1. Encouraging connection

Metro North encourages R U OK conversations alongside the Peer Responders Program , helping staff connect, check in with one another, and offer support through life’s challenges.

  1. Kindness Works Here

Our Kindness in Action program and annual Kindness Week encourage staff to lead with kindness in patient care, teamwork, and everyday interactions.

  1. Pride in Metro North

This staff-led group fosters a safe, inclusive, and compassionate environment for LGBTQIA+ employees and patients, championing equity and dignity for all.

  1. Putting people first: Staff Excellence Awards

These awards recognise and celebrate staff who go above and beyond to prioritise empathy, dignity, and person-centred care.

  1. Five tiers of wellbeing support

From peer support to manager-led initiatives, our comprehensive multi-level wellbeing approach to staff wellbeing ensures every team member can access the help they need.

  1. Psychological safety at work

Our internal workshops equip staff to build inclusive, trusting team environments where everyone feels safe to speak up.

Compassion in action

Compassion is already happening across Metro North every day. From patient care to peer support, the stories of our people show what compassion looks like in real life.

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Last updated 19 February 2026
© The State of Queensland (Metro North Health) 2026