Care Opinion
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Care Opinion, formerly Patient Opinion, is a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Paul Hodgkin in 2005 which offers patients an opportunity to offer feedback about their experience of health and social care. It is based in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
. There are similar organisations in Australia and Ireland. It changed its name in April 2017. It is largely, but not exclusively, web based. Organisations which subscribe to the service pay for feedback directed to appropriate places in their organisation. There are no charges to patients. Subscribing organisations are chiefly part of the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
. It is now used by over 90% of
NHS trust An NHS trust is an organisational unit within the National Health Services of England and Wales, generally serving either a geographical area or a specialised function (such as an ambulance service). In any particular location there may be several ...
s and is supported by the Scottish government, which encouraged health boards to engage with the website with £160,000 funding in 2013. In 2022 more than 500 organisations were using Care Opinion. It offer patients opportunities: *to give feedback on their health services *to easily see what others are saying For health care providers it enables them: *to hear – and respond to – patient concerns and thank-yous *to compare their ratings with others When compared with other feedback mechanisms in the
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
, such as the
Friends and Family Test The Friends and Family Test was introduced into the English NHS in 2013. It was a single question survey which asked patients whether they would recommend the NHS service they have received to friends and family who need similar treatment or care. ...
it offers much more detailed information, and the potential for dialogue, as organisations are encouraged to respond to patient stories, take action where necessary, and report back on what was done. About two thirds of stories receive a response. It also has the advantage of being independent. It is seen as much more positive than making formal complaints, by both patients and staff. Francis Fullam, assistant professor of health systems management at
Rush University Medical Center Rush University Medical Center (Rush) is an academic medical center in the Illinois Medical District neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is the hospital for the Rush University System for Health, which includes Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rus ...
, says that his center also shares patient ratings and comments on its website but says the difference about Care Opinion is that not only does it lets patients tell their stories, but it also lets clinicians listen, gain insight, respond, and act. Because the process is transparent the public can see the responses and any changes that result from the interaction. In 2006, about 1,500 opinions and ratings were posted on the website. In 2011, during the debate about the
Health and Social Care Act 2012 The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (c. 7) is an Act of Parliament (UK), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It provided for the most extensive reorganisation of the structure of the National Health Service (England), National Health Ser ...
the organisation analysed the 11,000 accounts of healthcare experiences posted on the site over the previous five years focused on the most critical postings to find where patients felt the NHS needs to improve. Staff attitudes generated the biggest criticism. Only 3% perceived ‘choice of provider’ as a problem. All Scottish health boards respond to experiences shared on the website and since it was introduced in 2011, more than 100 changes have been made to services across Scotland in response to this feedback including changes to facilities, signage and food services. It has a system of ‘tag bubbles’ which enable searches of the data linked to particular aspects of care. This revealed that patients had high opinions of physiotherapy. The Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare is operating a similar website which in its first five weeks received 27 detailed stories.


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External links


Care Opinion website
Health informatics organizations Patient advocacy Healthcare in Ireland Healthcare in the United Kingdom British medical websites