Care Opinion's Autumn Online Conference 2024

Wow (!) I don’t think there’s a better adjective to describe just how we all, here at Care Opinion, feel about the Autumn Conference this year. At its peak, we hosted over 200 guests and to say we are proud is an understatement. The conference this year focussed on the author’s voice and was driven by the Care Opinion Values of Innovation, Transparency, Inclusivity, Positivity and Humanity-all of which were beautifully interwoven throughout the morning.

Our speakers delivered powerfully motivating sessions with passion and care and, importantly, with the patient so clearly at the heart of all the work they do. It was clear from our speakers, representing their organisations, that they really valued Care Opinion and how it provides a safe space for the voices of their patients and service users to be heard. It was equally clear how hard they worked to encourage their voices and learn from them. In addition to front-line staff sharing their experiences of Care Opinion, we heard from Professor Catherine Calderwood and Professor Alex Gillespie who spoke carefully and considerately about why we have a patient safety problem and how patient feedback might be part of the solution.

We were also very excited and proud to hear from Ann, our story-teller, who has shared her experiences of care on Care Opinion more than once. Ann’s interview was recorded, but perfectly executed. 

The conference was more than we hoped for and our best yet.

Beyond responding – the wider impacts of fostering a practice of openness and transparency

‘Care Opinion has helped us participate in reconnecting our staff to things that matter’ ( Dr Catherine Labinjoh)

In this session we heard from Dr Catherine Labinjoh, from NHS Forth Valley Royal, and Dr Abigail Barkham, from Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust on how ‘Engaging in feedback on Care Opinion goes beyond the interaction between an author and service on the platform’. Here we learn about how each story is an opportunity for the service to learn, develop practice and celebrate their successes. We thought very Abby’s poignant words tied in beautifully with the idea that Care Opinion can sit alongside the patients as an advocate, where an experience can be seen through their eyes, 'changing the power balance and giving patients a voice’. 

Watch this wonderfully inspiring session below:

Research chat 24- Can online patient feedback warn us of a drift to failure?

'What is quality care doesn’t necessarily mean a good outcome.’ (Prof Catherine Calderwood)

In this session, our Chief Executive, Dr James Munro, hosted an informal conversation with Prof Catherine Calderwood and Prof Alex Gillespie, and explored why we have a patient safety problem, and how patient feedback might be part of the solution.

To learn more about how ‘front line patients have a lot to offer’ listen below to this absorbing and thoughtful chat.

Hearing from story tellers - an introduction and video from a story author

“If you have a mechanism such as Care Opinion, where you can formalise the feedback, it then means that somebody's senior…actually sees it and makes them more accountable to do something about it.” (Ann)

Hearing the author’s voice through their stories is at the heart of what Care Opinion is truly all about .Our platform provides a space where we hope author’s feel safe enough to share, honestly, their experiences in a free and unrestricted way.

Hearing from an author who has used Care Opinion and whose story has helped a service to make changes was a fantastic experience for all of us here. Ann brought her experience, of using Care Opinion multiple times, to life by very generously agreeing to record an interview with us. Watch below to experience this rare opportunity and to hear more about the author’s motivations for using Care Opinion.

Maintaining Safety and Compassion - The Story of Moderating Online Feedback

“(Care Opinion) is a journey!” (Lisa Townsend)

In this session, we were delighted to welcome Lisa Townsend, Patient Experience Feedback Lead at Royal Devon Trust and Emma Berry, Research Fellow at University Aberdeen. Lisa discussed how ‘Care Opinion is a really good way to demonstrate engaging with patient feedback’ and shared her experiences of managing difficult stories with Care Opinion and staff. Emma wrote a fascinating research paper on “Using Humanity to Change Systems” based on Care Opinion Scotland. Emma shared some insights from that research where the key themes focussed on 3 areas, the process of moderation, the emotional labour of moderation and a theme on the brokerage of the mediation role. Really captivating stuff. Watch below gain more insight into the aspect of moderating on Care Opinion. 

Star Responder Awards Ceremony

A good response really can make a world of difference and we at COHQ think good responses shouldn’t just be acknowledged, they should be celebrated too. A good response can behave as a continuation of care, it can demonstrate how well the organisation communicates with their patients and service users and it shows the author just how much their story and voice matters.

As has become tradition here at our Care Opinion conferences, we like to end on a teary high. This was our 3rd Star Responder Ceremony and was hosted by Liz and Lisa from the subscriber team. To see this celebratory session, watch the video below! 

Finally, whether or not your organisation or team already subscribes to Care Opinion, we hope to inspire you with the possibilities of public online feedback.

If your service is based anywhere in the UK and you are interested in finding out more about a subscription, then email the address below, and we will direct you to the right member of the Care Opinion team subscribing@careopinion.org.uk. For general enquiries you can contact us at info@careopinion.org.uk. 

Conference resources 

Abigail Barkham slides Oct24.pptx

Catherine Labinjoh slides Oct24.pptx

Emma Berry Slides Oct24.pptx