The report of the Future Hospital Commission of the Royal College of Physicians acknowledges that the principal challenge for health care organisations and professionals responsible for delivering medical services is to accept the fundamental requirement that patients must be treated with compassion, kindness and respect while having their physical and emotional needs met at all times. The recognition that clinical outcomes alone are an insufficient guide to the adequacy of health service provision demands cultural, organisational and individual change. In the Forum of the Future Hospital Journal we will try to scan the world literature for papers that can cast light upon the systems of care that might best ensure these principles are delivered, wherever they have been developed, and to critically evaluate their potential impact. The theme in this edition is patient experience.