999 - What's Your Story? Reflections and Learning

During the 2025-26 year, the South Eastern HSC Trust achieved a new milestone with 999 stories shared. We came so close to reaching that four-digit mark, yet our pride in this accomplishment remains undiminished. This figure reflects a 20% increase in stories compared to 2024-25. We want to express our gratitude to all our dedicated teams for their ongoing hard work promoting Care Opinion and encouraging feedback. We also thank our service users, families, and carers for being open and honest, and sharing their experiences of care and treatment.

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Spotlight on Good Practice

We’re delighted to shine a light on the inspiring work taking place across our Trust, where teams are embracing and championing Care Opinion in truly meaningful ways. Below, we’re proud to share real standout examples of services that have gone above and beyond, demonstrating real passion and commitment to making the most of the platform.

93 stories shared about Ulster Hospital Emergency Department...

We recognise that taking on the role of a responder carries significant responsibility. We would like to highlight the excellent work of our Care Opinion responders for our Emergency Department (ED), specifically Jenny Nicholson and Leanne Wilson. Despite the pressures and capacity constraints within unscheduled care, they have shown consistent dedication and commitment to providing timely responses. This is reflected in the fact that 98% of ED-related stories received a response within three days of story publication! Not only are their responses timely, but the genuine compassion and deep respect woven into each response truly shows character and commitment to listening to our service users, families and carers.

63 stories shared about Health Visiting...

Health Visiting has been a regional Care Opinion campaign across Northern Ireland for a number of years now. Initially, story generation steadily trickled through, with 33 stories shared between April 2021 and March 2025. Over the past year, however, Health Visiting teams have made a significant effort to actively seek feedback through Care Opinion, resulting in an impressive 63 stories shared. Even more encouraging is the quality of this feedback, with 94% of stories reflecting a positive experience of the service. Well done to all Health Visiting teams!

129 stories shared about Ulster Hospital Endoscopy Unit / Endoscopy Pre-Assessment...

Our Endoscopy Services provide a strong example of how Care Opinion can be effectively embedded within a service. Care Opinion is consistently signposted at every stage, which you may have noticed if you have ever seen one of their lovely Care Opinion displays. Endoscopy Pre-Assessment play a key role in this approach by embedding Care Opinion at the very start of the patient journey. This includes providing a Care Opinion leaflet in every information pack sent to service users. The impact of this work is reflected in the 129 stories shared about the Ulster Hospital Endoscopy Unit and Endoscopy Pre-Assessment (with additional stories also relating to experiences at Downe Hospital and Lagan Valley Hospital endoscopy services).

Check out our latest Star Responder!

Jane Mitchell, Condition Management Programme Co-Ordinator, has been recognised by Care Opinion for the quality of responses to this story. As a team, Care Opinion were so impressed with Jane's responses; being warm, friendly, and giving a fantastic personal touch that was completely different to any response they had come across. Jane was able to use the 'Planned change' and 'change made' logos in responses and kept the author up to date as well as allowing everyone else who reads the story about changes and improvements.

Care Opinion will be highlighting Jane's 'Star Response' in the forthcoming Spring/Summer edition newsletter due out in June, as an example of best practice, so others can learn by example.

Well done Jane!

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Lessons Learnt and Positive Change

In 2025-26, an inspiring 888 stories (88% of stories shared) reflected positive experiences (based on the moderated criticality score of stories). These voices not only celebrate what is working well, but also offer opportunities to learn from excellence.

At the same time, we must remain attentive to the 111 stories (12% of stories shared) that speak to more critical experiences.  These voices matter deeply. They challenge us to listen with intent, reflect with honesty, and learn with purpose. While every story may not lead directly to change, many have already sparked meaningful improvements, with changes that aim to shape better experiences for future service users, families and carers.

Below are some examples of how services have embraced feedback from Care Opinion, using these valuable voices to inform, evolve and improve the care they provide.

Paediatric Inpatient Services

Across a group of stories, consistent themes emerged around the challenges of long stays, limited facilities for parents, the ward environment, and the need for clear, consistent communication.

Paediatric Services have taken this feedback on board, with learning and actions bringing together Quality Improvement (QI), Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), and operational learning:

• Improvements have been made to the ward environment and parent facilities, with greater awareness of family needs during longer admissions and early postnatal recovery.
• “We said, you did” approaches have been used to show families how their feedback has made a difference, helping to build trust and transparency.
• A focused QI project looking at environment, communication and the overall family experience.
• Stronger partnership working, including links with midwifery and community services, has supported better care for postnatal mothers with paediatric settings.
• A shift towards co-production, with one story author (parent) now actively involved in the Paeds in a Pod group, helping to shape and test improvements.

This approach shows how Care Opinion can be more than a feedback tool – it can open the door to ongoing involvement and partnership.

Ards Hospital Outpatients Department - Venesections

One story (Pain during procedure) described a patient experiencing significant pain during venesection, reducing their confidence in attending future appointments. While on Care Opinion this reflected one individual's experience, it echoed wider themes seen across feedback relating to venesection services — particularly around consistency of technique, communication, and patient confidence.

In response, this story was combined with other feedback to review venesection practice across the Trust, involving teams from multiple services. As a result, several improvements have been agreed:

• Updated venesection guidelines are being finalised.
• Better timing between tests and appointments.
• Revised consent processes.
• Standardised digital documentation.

This example demonstrates how individual patient stories can act as a catalyst and influence wider system learning.

If you would like to find out more about these changes, check out Sharon Moore, Ards Outpatients Sister's latest response here

Maternity Services

Over the past year, one in four stories shared about Maternity Services has reflected experiences moderated as ‘mildly’ or ‘moderately’ critical. While the majority of stories reflect a positive experience, with patients highlighting strong clinical care, compassionate staff, and high confidence in safety and effectiveness; there is a group of patients’ experience being negatively influenced by system pressures, most notably waiting times, access to services, variation in postnatal support, and gaps in inclusive and mental health provision.

Maternity Services have been actively listening with openness and intent. In response, a series of improvements have begun to take shape, each one rooted in the some of those themes raised through Care Opinion stories:

• A pilot to relocate elective care from the Emergency Obstetric Unit, introducing a dedicated Day Obstetric Unit (check out the impact of DOU through recent Care Opinion stories shared!)
• A new policy introduced regarding overnight stays on the ward, supported by additional reclining chairs purchased.
• The launch of a maternity support worker-led weekly breastfeeding workshop, offering hands-on support to new mums during their inpatient stay.

 

This example reflects a service that is not only hearing feedback, but transforming it into meaningful action and continuously shaping a more responsive and compassionate experience for families.

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Looking Forward

Looking ahead, let’s continue embedding Care Opinion into our daily practices. Although we’ve already made significant progress, the potential and scope of Care Opinion remain endless. To further strengthen our approach, we encourage all staff across Health and Social Care services in Northern Ireland to complete the “Introduction to Care Opinion Northern Ireland” module on LearnHSCNI. This will ensure everyone is well informed about Care Opinion and feels confident inviting feedback through the platform.

Within the South Eastern Trust, we urge every service to make Care Opinion an integral part of their working culture. It’s also important to maintain an adequate number of responders ready to listen and reply to stories, enabling services to make the most of what Care Opinion offers. If you believe you’re suited to the responder role, please register for a Responder Training session on LearnHSCNI.

Also, make sure to take full advantage of the subscriber know-how page. Whether you're new to Care Opinion or an experienced user, there's always more to learn. Check out some of the fantastic webinars, training and support on offer as well. 

Should you have questions or feel uncertain about any aspect of Care Opinion, the Involvement & Experience Team is always here to help. You’re welcome to reach out at careopinion@setrust.hscni.net for guidance or support.

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Thank you

As we look toward the future, reaching 999 stories is far more than a simple milestone - it serves as a powerful reminder of the responsibility we carry with every voice that is shared. Through Care Opinion, we gain invaluable insights into real, lived experiences; these stories help us link feedback directly to quality improvement, build meaningful partnerships through co-production, and clearly show where positive change is taking root. By actively listening, responding with genuine compassion, and acting thoughtfully, we can transform these stories into lasting improvements, richer experiences, and stronger assurance across all our services. Together, our commitment ensures that every story makes a difference and helps shape a better tomorrow for everyone involved.