Conversations on and off Patient
Opinion
Ben Pathe | Patient Opinion
@BenP1972
ben.pathe@patientopinion.org.uk
FRANCIS, KEOGH,
BERWICK…
Francis Report, 2013
“The NHS should be commended for its
willingness to cooperate with Patient Opinion,
exchange information with it, and make use of
its facilities.
As was recognised by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh,
it would be helpful if the profile of this sort of
feedback facility was raised and kept in the
public eye.”
Francis Report, 2013
“I could not help feeling that, in Francis' vision
of the future, the patient remains something of
a passive onlooker, not an assertive participant.
It runs the risk of an undue reliance on the
system getting it right for the patient. We know
all too well that this is not enough.”
Stephen Thornton, chief exec, The Health Foundation
Francis & Transparency
“Patients and the public live a life outside the NHS… The
knowledge they make available through web sites like Patient
Opinion reflect their experience of what is happening inside, but
is also created by their lives outside the health service…
The more knowledge we have about what is going
on inside the system that has been created by people who
live outside it the better the NHS will be.”
Paul Corrigan, ex-policy advisor to the PM
Keogh Report, July 2013
“Patients, carers and members of the
public… should be confident that their
feedback is being listened to and see
how this is impacting on their own
care and the care of others.”
Keogh Report, July 2013
“Realtime patient feedback and
comment must become a normal part
of provider organisations’ customer
service and reach well beyond the
Friends and Family Test.”
Keogh Report, July 2013
“The public have now become not just
informed participants in the process, but
active assessors and regulators of the
NHS.
This represents a turning point for our
health service from which there is no
return.”
Berwick Report, August 2013
“Hear the patient voice at every level
– even when that voice is a whisper”
Berwick Report, August 2013
“Patient feedback is instrumental to
the measurement, maintenance and
monitoring of safety.
Feedback should be collected as far as
possible in real time and be responded
to as quickly as possible.”
Berwick Report, August 2013
“All organisations should seek out the
patient and carer voice as an essential
asset in monitoring the safety and
quality of care.”
Widgets
Subscriber blogs
Using PO/CO…
• Service users and carers can give honest
feedback safely and easily
• Staff know how their care is experienced
• Services can make constant improvements
based on feedback
• Everyone can see how services are listening
and changing in response
Activity to date
• Almost 60,000 stories online
• Read 58 million times
• Used by over 500 organisations
o Providers, commissioners, CSUs…
o Regulators, government, MPs, councillors…
o Healthwatch, patient groups, educators, researchers…
• Almost 2,000 staff listening
Patient Organisations
CQC and Monitor
GP Consortia
Automatic notification
Service
User
Story
Relevant
staff
Response
Comment 1
Comment from patient
HealthWatch, H&W Boards
National government, and MPs
Conversations on Patient Opinion
Comment 2
Service
improvement
How stories improve integration across health and social care
Care Home
“The ambulance arrived quickly”
Daughter
Ambulance
Local NHS FT hospital
Ambulance
Step down facility
Ambulance
Social care
Care Home
“We often find residents coming
back to us late at night”
Care home comment
“We really liked the step down home
but it was awful arriving there at 22.00
after waiting all day for the hospital to
discharge her”
Daughter
Health services
Community physio
CCGs
Health services
Patient Organisations
CQC
Automatic notification
FT staff
Service
User
Story
Care home
staff
Response
Comment
Response
covers both
responses
Hospital
improvement
Comment
Comment from patient
Local Authorities, HealthWatch
Social care
National government, and MPs
Integrating conversations on Patient Opinion and Care Opinion
Care home
improvement
Health and
social care
providers
LINks,
HealthWatch
patient
groups
Education
& research
CQC
Patient and
carer stories
CCGs, LATs,
NCB
John’s story
Early December 2012 John left
his story on NHS Choices about
the care of his mother:
• hygiene standards, basic
care, lack of information,
poor handovers and
attitude of staff though
equally highlighted good
care and staff.
• His opening line recognised
the prompt and
professional work of the
Macmillan nurses.
• ULH responded on 18th
December.
• ULH heard nothing more.
John’s story
December 2012 John left his story
on NHS Choices:
• In February PO contacted ULH.
• John wanted to reply but
couldn’t on NHS Choices; his
mother had died – on the day
ULH left their response.
• He had many questions and PO
recognised his need to talk to
ULH.
• ULH met John in April – a very
tough, emotional meeting.
• Despite complaints and
concerns John still recognised
what went well; especially
Macmillan CNS.
• Ended the meeting with a
gift……..
Collective value of PO
To story-teller
themselves
To commissioners
& regulators
To people who read
the story
To providers of
care