The power of stories - how telling your story can have a real impact

The Archers gets five million listeners every episode.   In January, 12.5m viewers tuned into Coronation Street as Vera Duckworth bid farewell to the soap.  We love our soaps but patient’s real life stories can be just as dramatic.  What’s more - unlike Eastenders  - it’s all true. The effect of stories like this can be profound.

Illness is often a search not just for diagnosis and treatment but for meaning – what does my life mean now I’ve got cancer? What did I do to deserve multiple sclerosis? Why did my heart attack me?  That’s why there are so many great self help sites, where you can share what it feels like to find your self with diagnoses like Diabetes, Parkinsonism, Hepatitis and a thousand others.  But another way to discover the meaning lying behind the story of your illness is the ability to help others in the same situation. And this is where Patient Opinion comes in because stories don’t just help us, they also help staff to understand the changes that need to be made to help every patient get the service they need. 

With a patient’s story, staff can clearly see how they can help patients have a better experience.   Patient’s stories are the perfect starting point for any discussion about how they can make changes for the better, as Rotherham Acute Trust recognised when they read this story from one of their patients. 

This particular story is now a focus for discussions within the hospital, for raising awareness about the emotional nature of patient’s experiences, as well as their practical needs.  It will help staff to understand the human elements of care, and act as a catalyst for improvements.

Stories are powerful learning tools, and have the ability to help us put ourselves in the position of the storyteller.  We all remember stories, and use them to explain things to others – your story could very well make the difference to next person with the same thing, going to the same hospital as you.  So let your inner Vera Duckworth (or Eddie Grundy!) shine out. 

Come and tell your story on Patient Opinion and help change the NHS!