Because I have not learned to keep quiet

We had a training event yesterday with Gina and Natalie, which I enjoyed very much (Thank you both).  As always, I have not learned to keep quiet.  When I open my mouth, I get something else to do, so here it is.  Gina thought it may be helpful to explain how I go about responding to posts for Ayrshire and Arran.  Please feel free to disregard this; we will all arrive at our own style and method of responding but here is mine. 

I have a small notepad and for each post I will write, the headline or strap line at the top of the page e.g. ‘All the staff are very charming’, then I note the ‘name’ e.g. dancer224 and then log the 6 digit number at the end of the webpage URL - https://www.patientopinion.org.uk/opinions/165843, then I note any actions I take or actions required.  These actions may be that I do a few enquiries to enable a truthful initial response and then I sent it to the managers responsible for that area.

I am very conscious that posts to PO are always about something, so what is it?  After I have read the post, I copy, cut and paste it into a word document. After re-reading, sometimes frequently, I add comments beside statements. These may be – hurt, grateful, angry, benefited from.... etc.  I try to really hear what they are trying to say.  Sometimes people want us to make some change, sometimes they want to let off steam, and they may want us to acknowledge their pain/suffering or emotions thankfully, they also frequently want to thank us for their care.

My responses

I always apologise.  This is not in any way an admission that we have been wrong or staff have done something less well than they should.   I am saying – I am sorry you felt that way – because that is what it is, their story and their feelings.  I try to put a bit of me as a person into the post.  I try to show there is a professional writing it but not by using professional words or jargon.  I am an ‘in betweener’ I can side with the individual e.g. Yes I agree waiting 70 years for a hospital appointment is too long.  Quite clearly, there is a fine line to tread here but there are some unreasonable things that happen.  I reflect back in their own words frequently, this shows we are listening.  Very importantly, I do not defend the system and I try not to be defensive.  People will experience things with immense variations and it is not up to me to tell them that what they feel is not correct.

In some cases I encourage the individual to contact me privately so we can gain more details to enable us to investigate. Occasionally, we even encourage an official complaint.  Sometimes it is important for both the individual and helpful to the service.  If we respond in an encouraging and friendly way that resonates with the individual, they are very likely to contact us off-line and in my experience, this has been very helpful.

I ask for the compliments to be passed to the team, it is important for us all to share the successes and take the pat on the back.  The less complimentary ones may be discussed several times with a round robin of communication until the situation has been explored and understood and a post developed/agreed. 

When I think the dialogue has been completed, I end my notes page with a line, case closed. 

I try to make sure nothing is left ‘hanging’ by following up the person responsible to respond.  Because people have taken the time to share some experience, we need to respect that and conclude the story. We must also remember that there are lots of eyes watching this from far and wide and they should understand the actions we have taken and any results from it.  

I believe Patient Opinion can be a really good tool if we use it properly.  Yes, sometimes there will be stories that we can’t believe happened in the way they are being reported, but sometimes they are.

It is really important to make sure the person we respond to is aware we are listening; we are taking it on board in some way. It can also give us a platform for improvement.  We must not miss that opportunity, and we must not pay lip service to it.