Sharing Stories
So that sharing feedback is easy and accessible to everyone, there are a few different ways that people can share their story on Care Opinion. The 3 different options are:
1. Submitting Story Directly to the Care Opinion Website: This is the most common way that people share their story. People should simply go to careopinion.org.uk then click “Tell your story” and follow the simple steps. Staff members/volunteers are able to support someone through this process, and the following steps in this resource pack will explain and give instructions for this process.
2. Filling in a free-post Care Opinion feedback leaflet: Most services that have a Care Opinion Subscription have access to a number of feedback leaflets. These leaflets are ideal for giving to authors who do not have internet access or do not feel confident sharing their story using the website. The feedback leaflet allows people to write (or draw) their story on the form, answer a few simple questions e.g. name of service and postcode, and then simply seal the leaflet and pop it in the post. The leaflets are posted to the Care Opinion offices where the Care Opinion team will add the story to the website on the story teller’s behalf, simple!
3. Phoning Care Opinion: For anyone who is unable to share their story via the website or feedback leaflet, they can phone the Care Opinion team. A member of the team will take the person’s story whilst on the phone, and then submit the story on Care Opinion on their behalf. The number to call is 0800 122 31 35). Supporting someone to share their story as a member of staff/volunteer In addition, staff/volunteers can support people to share their story.
The following sections on this page will detail advice and instructions to support people to share their story.
How to take Stories: Information and Advice
This section will take you through the process of supporting someone to share their feedback.
There are two ways to support someone to share their story on Care Opinion:
1. By sitting with the person at a computer or with an iPad & supporting them through the process to submit their story directly to the Care Opinion website.
2. If you do not have internet access, you can take notes using the “Taking a story form” (which can be found as a downloadable template here) whilst you are sat with the story teller, before then submitting the story to Care Opinion on their behalf. (When you do have internet access.)
Before you begin
It’s important to consider and prepare for the following three aspects before starting to collect feedback…
Environment: You may be in a hospital, an office or a waiting room. It’s important that the story teller and yourself feel comfortable, both with the conversation and the environment. So, it’s helpful to find a quiet, safe space, where the story teller can talk openly and in confidence. You’ll be taking feedback using the “Taking a story form” (link here) or with an iPad/computer, so you may want to find somewhere comfortable to sit too.
Introduction: Always introduce yourself and explain your role. Explain that you are collecting feedback about the health or social care organisation that you are working with. Explain that the feedback is important to the service, the staff that work there and health and social care commissioners, inspectors and regulators. These groups of people will be able to read this anonymous feedback on the Care Opinion website in order to monitor and improve care.
Explanation: Explain what Care Opinion is. For this, you may find it helpful to have the FAQ page with you. You should explain that Care Opinion is an independent, public website, that makes it safe and simple for people to share honest, anonymous feedback about their care. Care Opinion supports health and social care services to learn from feedback and give patients and service users a voice. Care Opinion sends the feedback to the service and invites the service to respond to people’s stories publicly, to learn from feedback and improve services for everyone.
Using the system: It is important that when entering a story on behalf of someone else using your own login to Care Opinion that you use the option "a staff member posting for a patient/service user" option (see below) and ensure that the wording is as if it was being written by the patient/service user themselves.
We also have a step by step conversation guide you may find useful here;