Health / People invited to share healthcare feedback on national website
However there has been concern from some that platforms like Care Opinion are not ‘appropriate forums to enter into dialogue about patient care’
PEOPLE who receive healthcare in Shetland have been invited to report any feedback – good or bad – on a national website.
However a report to NHS Shetland board members said some service providers are concerned that public platforms like Care Opinion are not “appropriate forums to enter into dialogue about patient care”.
Care Opinion is a UK-wide service where people can share their experiences of health and care services, without their name attached to it.
These stories can be read by anyone on the website, and they can be responded to directly by relevent health officials.
Meanwhile the board meeting heard today (Tuesday) that the number of complaints received directly by NHS Shetland in 2024/25 was up 17 per cent on the previous year.
Corporate services manager Carolyn Hand told the NHS Shetland board meeting that given feedback is spread across services it is tricky to pinpoint the reasons behind the rise, but a “sustained pressure” on health services – including at the Gilbert Bain Hospital – during the year is likely to be a factor.
She said there had been 217 pieces of feedback given to NHS Shetland during 2024/25, including 97 complaints and 82 concerns.
Some key themes included access to services, including dental and audiology, patient travel and treatment for long Covid patients.
But Hand said a lot of the positive feedback from patients is given to staff members directly instead of via formal channels, and therefore is not reflected in the figures.
She also said the number of concerns and complaints are “really low” in relation to the overall number of healthcare interactions over a year.
Hand said complaints and concerns are taken seriously and added that “understanding what’s gone wrong provides an opportunity to find better outcomes”.
The meeting was also told that NHS Shetland’s response times to ‘stage two’ complaints remain below target, usually due the complexity of cases.
Meanwhile the independent Care Opinion website was brought up during the meeting as one way of providing feedback.
It is a platform where people can anonymously leave feedback, which can then be seen by other people – including folk who may be set to access the same services.
A report to health board members said Care Opinion is “valued” by NHS Shetland.
“When feedback is received this way, an automatic alert is triggered to all board members and heads of service,” it said.
“They can see the positive and negative comments alike, and also how we respond to them.
“We try to actively encourage new staff to look through the feedback we have received and to consider how any learning points can be applied in their areas.”
But the report said “such a transparent method” of receiving feedback is not without its challenges.
“A number of service providers are concerned that open social platforms are not appropriate forums to enter into dialogue about patient care,” it added.
“Whenever we receive feedback requiring a personal response, we encourage the individual to contact us directly.”
A question was raised over how the board could promote Care Opinion to the public more, with members told that the one recent method of publicity was through this year’s agricultural shows.
There are a number of ways people can leave feedback for NHS Shetland, with information available here.
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