Aim To ascertain and compare the perspectives of students and lecturers at Edinburgh Napier University and Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, regarding person-centred care. Method Data were collected using face-to-face, structured interviews and analysed using a person-centred nursing framework. Findings Participants believed that person-centred care should be incorporated within pre-registration nursing education. Conclusion The way person-centred care is taught varied between the two universities. With the focus on high quality, compassionate care, it is important to identify how nursing curricula can promote these qualities.