Restorative Practice at Work (Six habits for improving relationships in healthcare settings)

Restorative practice is emerging in healthcare settings and systems as a highly effective means of improving relationships and enabling positive change. It consists of a set of theories, principles, skills and processes that shape our thinking around the way we interact with others. When restorative practice is adopted consistently within and between teams, it becomes 'the way we do things round here', a set of restorative practice 'habits' that we all recognise, use and refer to.

Restorative Practice at Workidentifies a set of six complementary habits which will help to change and improve everyday communications, conversations and accountability in healthcare. These habits demonstrate how restorative practice can help toimprove day-to-day communications, in the form of behaviour, language and conversations, ease some of the daily challenges faced in healthcare and foster more effective working relationships, potentially leading to improvements in patient care and patient safety.They are:

Navigating the Mountain: Looking beyond challenging behaviourRecognising Needs: Noticing, and responding to, needs and unmet needsEngaging Brains and Behaviours: Informing our responses to outward behavioursRemembering the Relational Window: Solving problems togetherRunning Circle Meetings: An alternative meeting processDrawing on Restorative Enquiry: Processing incidents and problems

Lesley firmly believes that restorative practice habits can ease the current pressures on the health service by enabling better relationships, improved communication and a focus on positive mental health. It can also be part of key solutions: staff engagement and retention, team cohesion, patient safety and care, culture change and improvement.

The book offers practical and engaging takeaways to helpyou get started with restorative practice and includes reflective learning opportunities and transferrable lessons supported by evidence from case studies and contributions from experienced healthcare professionals.

The aim ofRestorative Practice at Workis to make a notable, positive difference to your daily workplace experience, whether you are a public-facing receptionist, member of a clinical team, administrator, manager, senior leader, cleaner or consultant, or, indeed if you have any other role in healthcare.This book will challenge and support your knowledge, understanding and thinking around restorative practice as a workplace philosophy in healthcare.

Suitable for NHS leaders, managers, clinicians and staff and those in other healthcare settings such as researchers, academics, HR professionals and educators.

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Written by Lesley Parkinson,Restorative Practice at Work: Six habits for improving relationships in healthcaresettingsdemonstrates how anyone working in healthcare can draw on restorative practice to develop six habits that improve relationships and help to foster compassionate and inclusive workplace cultures;

I was delighted to read this book. I think it is particularly apt that this practice has been shared within our trust, and especially now, when we have all recently had the most isolation, mentally and physically, from family and colleagues that many of us have ever experienced, due to the pandemic. The six habits are set out succinctly and clearly, and compassionately assess situations that may occur - with a clear aim for supportive resolution and improved healthcare.The circle meetings are a very welcome initiative after the necessity of endless TEAM meetings - a very practical way to break down barriers and work towards a psychologically safe and good culture.Here is a reference guide that any team member, whatever their role, would be glad to have nearby, and one that they can dip into for reminders and guidance.I think this publication is particularly relevant to the work we do as Freedom to Speak Up G