Why Should Services Respond To Online Patient Feedback?

Whether the story shared is positive or negative, people really do genuinely appreciate a response.

“Reading other people’s feedback and seeing service providers respond – apparently really wanting to hear feedback so they can make changes – inspired me to speak out” - ‘G’ a mental health service user.

When you respond, you publicly demonstrate your commitment to engaging with and learning from feedback. Patient centred care has to begin with listening to patients, and what better way to show that you are listening to and learning from feedback than by responding.

A response is a chance to be transparent

Why not use your response to explain how things work within a service, or what normally happens? This should help not just the author, but anyone who reads the story. Being transparent helps people understand your services, which leads to more engaged and happier service users.

You can even post a simple holding response, and then come back later to write a second response with more information or an update.

Responding well might prevent a complaint

Authors have told us that if they share their feedback about a negative experience on Patient opinion, and receive a fair and honest response to it, they are far less likely to make an official complaint. So, responding well might influence the number of complaints a service receives.

Our next blog will give top tips on writing a great response. So watch this space…