Stories that change us - Why narrative feedback matters in health and care

In a world driven by data, it’s easy to forget the power of a story. At Care Opinion, stories are at the heart of everything we do, and they are so much more than just feedback.

Care Opinion isn’t a survey, it’s not a tick-box, it's not a complaint or a PROM or PREM. It’s something else entirely, a space where people can share their health and care experiences in their own words, in their own time. These stories are rich, emotional, and often unexpected. They go beyond the numbers to reveal what really matters, and how services can change for the better.

What makes Care Opinion different is that it’s not just information, It’s an intervention.

Every time someone shares a story, they open the door to a conversation, and as staff and services can read and respond publicly, feedback becomes dialogue. This transparency builds trust and fosters a learning culture. It’s not about blame, it’s about building relationships, deepening understanding, and making care more human.

We know that Care Opinion is just one part of the wider tapestry of feedback. Structured tools like PROMs, PREMs and surveys etc play an important role too, offering valuable standardised data. And what Care Opinion brings is depth, connection, and narrative, which is a vital complement to quantitative tools. Together, these approaches can give a fuller, more responsive picture of people’s experiences.

However, we are currently at an inflection point in Health and Care, especially in England where the policy landscape is facing a very big shift. A shift that creates a real risk that public feedback could be sidelined, being treated as data to monitor, rather than stories to engage with. When feedback is used to be punitive rather than to understand, we lose the opportunity to grow, and risk silencing voices that should be shaping the future of care.

At Care Opinion, we believe feedback should be a force for growth, not a lever of fear. Used well, it supports reflection, encourages improvement, and inspires innovation. 

It's also important to reflect that at Care Opinion we also hear the good. The moments of compassion, the everyday excellence, the stories that boost morale and remind us why this work matters. Helping health and care services emphasise the practices that create cultures of safety and learning. Again, if we don’t focus on the good, we can’t learn from it or reinforce it.

Narrative feedback can do what metrics alone cannot. It helps us connect, it helps us learn and it helps us lead. Let’s not just measure experience, let’s hear it, respond to it and be changed by it. When stories are shared, and truly heard, they don’t just monitor the system, they help to change it.