Schwarz Rounds | 25 March – Leeds: Work Life Balance

This is an open opportunity for colleagues including volunteering to take time out to reflect on shared experiences.

Date: Tuesday 25 March 2025
Time: 12.15 to 1.45 PM
Session title: ‘Work Life Balance and What It Means to Me’ – Leeds Place Schwartz Round
Link to Book Leeds 25 March Swartz Round on Ticket Tailor (https://www.tickettailor.com/events/westyorkshirestaffmentalandwellbeinghub/1555135)

What is a Schwartz Round?

Schwartz Rounds provide a confidential and structured space where staff and volunteers, clinical and non-clinical, can come together to reflect on the emotional impact of working in health and care. Each Schwartz Round has a theme and can take place virtually or in person.

It’s not very often that people are encouraged to talk about the very individual impact that working in care has but this can really help to support our wellbeing and the wellbeing of colleagues. Evidence shows that people who attend Rounds may feel less stressed and isolated, with increased insight and appreciation for each other’s roles.

The rounds help to create a culture of trust, openness and sharing without judgement or blame.

Attending a Schwartz Round is also attributed as part of your CPD. If you are interested in obtaining one of these certificates, please select this as part of your sign-up. Following attendance to the Round and completion of the evaluation form, a certificate will be emailed to you.

What to expect?

The session begin with a period of quiet time, during which you are encouraged to minimise the distractions from your busy work, make a drink and stretch your legs before the Schwartz Round commences. Entry to the Round is not allowed after 12:30pm.

There will be three stories shared by up to 3 local staff or volunteers whose experiences touch on the theme, and you may find that their stories resonate with you and may help you to work through your own experiences.

The facilitators will invite whole group reflections, which are optional for you to contribute to.

The purpose of Rounds is to understand the challenges and rewards that come from working or volunteering within health and social care, it is not to solve problems or to focus on the clinical aspects of patient care.

All those attending the Round agree to uphold confidentiality of all participants, as well as the stories and reflections shared.

Become a storyteller

No matter the size of the group (numbers of participants can vary), each group needs at least three story tellers.

The story teller talks about their experiences for five minutes, after which the group get to reflect on what they have heard and how this resonates with them. It’s not for making suggestions or asking more questions, it’s more about the impact of the story on the listener.

The story teller will be supported in advance by a Schwartz facilitator to pull their story together but as long as it relates somehow to the theme and to working in the sector that’s all that counts. Stories can be very emotional or really uplifting or both or somewhere in between.

A story will resonate with different people in different ways. People’s reflections might prompt the storyteller to go back to work and implement some new ways of working, or simply feel reassured that others have shared their experience, or it might help them be more willing to talk more openly with colleagues. Talking with openness and compassion is part of a positive culture shift towards greater acceptance and understanding of one another.

If you, or someone you know, who might have a story to share (aligning with one of the themes), please get in touch with Paul Sullivan by emailing paul.sullivan10@nhs.net

You can also watch this video of previous story tellers relaying their experience: Storyteller Youtube Video