Defining the concept of dignity and developing a model to promote its use in practice.

Understanding the meaning of "dignity" is a prerequisite for all healthcare staff so they know what they need to do to promote it within their services. The Dignity in Care campaign, launched in 2006, marked the Department of Health's commitment to ensuring services respect the dignity of those using them and ended tolerance of those that do not. This article proposes a definition so that the concept can be based on a common understanding and outlines a model based on existing research, which can be used to enhance dignity in health and social care.