The role and contribution of compassionate communities

Collective compassion is a form of social capital that is largely untapped in communities around the world. In the context of public health palliative care, it is valued and expressed within a social model of care known as compassionate communities.1 Within this model,a health-promoting community of social networks recognise end-of-life needs and proactively share in holistic end-of-life care.1,2 As lay community networks who often partner with professional health-care networks, compassionate communities can be found in 19 countries across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific.2 The gravitas of the compassionate communities movement is such that it features as the theme of the 2023 World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, celebrated on Oct 14, under the title “Compassionate communities:together for palliative care”. Here, we highlight the crucial role and contribution of compassionate communities within the context of their implications for practice and research.