Devon Sexual Health-creating a culture where patients feel heard

We aspire to continue using patient feedback to drive meaningful improvements in care and service delivery

Devon Sexual Health offers free, confidential and non-judgemental sexual health services including STI testing & treatment, contraception, HIV support and information and  advice around all aspects of sexual health and wellbeing. We have a team of 8 reception staff who are based at our central Exeter HUB, providing admin & reception services for the Devon Sexual Health team.  

Patients are invited to share their experiences of our service through the Care Opinion platform. After their appointment or consultation, our clinical team send patients an Invitation Link inviting them to provide feedback. Our dedicated team of responders then review and reply to the feedback submitted on the platform, representing the service and ensuring patients feel listened to, heard and valued. 

We’ve developed a rota-based responder system which allows a range of staff to take part in responding to patient feedback. This approach allows responsibility to be shared and ensures diverse perspectives when addressing patient feedback.  We have regular liaison between the reception team and the clinical or senior team when problems or concerns are highlighted - we work together on this. 

Working together and involving different team members has encouraged wider engagement and a feeling of ownership of the feedback process. Staff are empowered to use feedback to support meaningful changes to improve patient care and service delivery. As a result, we’ve seen several improvements made directly in response to patient feedback, showing staff that their involvement leads to positive outcomes. 

The role of responder has been a very valuable addition to the receptionist role, connecting us more closely with the patient’s experience. It provides an opportunity to actively engage with patient feedback, which helps staff feel more involved in the overall care journey—not just in our reception role, but as part of the wider service. Responding to feedback on behalf of the organisation is something our team has found very rewarding. It reinforces the idea that our contributions matter regardless of our role and helps us see the positive impact we can have on patient experiences. In addition, it has also strengthened collaboration across teams, reminding us that we all play a part in delivering high-quality care. 

As a result, patients have responded positively to the opportunity to leave feedback via Care Opinion. We have received feedback that highlights what we’re doing well and provides valuable insight into areas where we can improve.  

One of the positives we’ve taken away from using Care Opinion has been the valuable insight it provides into our patients’ experiences. Many patients share their anonymous personal stories, often expressing how nervous or worried they felt before attending our service. Hearing these honest reflections helps us understand the emotional side of the patient journey. Importantly, feedback also highlights how reassured and supported patients feel once they access the service, which is incredibly rewarding for the team.  

The Care Opinion platform has become an essential tool for gathering feedback, helping us identify any areas for improvement—whether in patient care, service access, or the overall patient journey. The platform has also fostered greater team engagement, with staff actively involved in reviewing feedback and contributing to meaningful changes. This has not only improved patient outcomes but also helped the team see the direct impact of their work, boosting motivation and a shared commitment to continuous improvement. 

We aspire to continue using patient feedback to drive meaningful improvements in care and service delivery. We aim to increase patient engagement by making it easy and accessible for patients to share their experiences of our service.  

We hope to create a culture where patients feel heard, helping us to deliver personalised, compassionate, and efficient care.  

Click on the image below to read some of our patients' stories