‘What matters to you?’ The powerful question at the heart of person centred care

To mark ‘What matters to you?’ Day, The ALLIANCE's Barbara Flynn considers the impact of Tommy Whitelaw’s talks for nurses and midwives.

‘What matters to you?’: A simple question, but one that can make all the difference in health and social care. It marks a subtle but important shift towards a dynamic in which a person’s voice truly matters. My colleague Tommy Whitelaw, National Lead for Person Centred Voices, demonstrates this in the sessions he delivers to health and social care professionals across Scotland. Taking the time to connect, listen, and centre people in decisions about their healthcare strengthens trust and connection, leading to greater agency and improved outcomes. This is the essence of person centred care.

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to lead on the analysis of over 400 evaluation responses from talks delivered by Tommy to nurses and midwives over the past year and a half. Personally, I felt inspired; having learnt more about the positive experiences involved in delivering person centred care and observing the impact of Tommy’s talks. Within the ALLIANCE Self Management Team, my own programme, we strive to raise awareness of the benefits of self management. Person centred care sits at the heart of these principles, approaches, and our work. Through the Self Management Reflective Practice training sessions that my team has delivered since 2017, I’ve facilitated many discussions with frontline health and social care professionals around best approaches in person centred care. Quite often, we see a fair amount of time dedicated to exploring the barriers to adopting self management approaches. At times, prompting the participants to consider potential enablers for self management poses a challenge in itself, given the lack of time and space they have for reflection within their busy roles.  

Reading through this feedback lifted my spirits; it was encouraging to know how we can start building a great place to work. What encouraged me the most was the resoundingly positive reminder of the fantastic, impactful work that is undertaken by ALLIANCE staff, as well as the strength of compassion and dedication of those working on the frontline. Tommy is a true champion of person centred care, his sessions inspiring to the point of practice-changing; 99% of respondents stated that the workshops would support them in their role, with one person sharing that “Tommy’s story inspires us all to do better… his kindness and passion re-ignite hope”.  

When asked what makes a good day at work, two themes were overwhelmingly apparent; when people feel valued, appreciated and respected; and when they feel a connection with others. Both of these are what Tommy does best. His talks are a powerful reminder for health and social care staff and students of their value and the significance of their role. He also makes a point of expressing his gratitude to them, and by bravely sharing his own deeply personal experience, he forges an almost tangible connection with his audience, reducing them to tears almost every time.  

The importance of this experience for health and social care staff cannot be understated. At a time of immense pressure on services, and with staff at acute risk of burnout, the validation and encouragement that Tommy’s sessions provide are indisputably an invaluable source of staff morale. It was no surprise then, when I read amongst the feedback: “Amazing course, should be made mandatory bi-annually for anyone working in health and social care”.

Happy ‘What matters to you?’ Day 2026 and keep up the great work, Tommy! You can read the full report on the survey findings here.

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