Listening, learning and improving together: Reflections on our recent HSCP event

Behind every interaction in health and care, there is a story.

Every day, people share experiences that reveal moments of kindness, challenges faced, gratitude, and frustration. Each story helps us understand what went well, what could have been better, and how the experience felt for those involved. When we take the time to listen, these stories show us what care truly feels like and highlight small changes that can make a big difference.

This was the focus of our recent online event, “Improving Care Through Listening: Learning from Public Feedback About Health and Care Services”, where Health and Social Care Partnerships from across Scotland came together to explore how feedback can shape better experiences for everyone.

Fraser Gilmore, CEO of Care Opinion, opened the session by highlighting why listening to public feedback is essential for improving services. He set the scene for a conversation about learning from real experiences, not just metrics.

Following this, Danielle McEwan, Senior Engagement & Support Officer, guided attendees through how Care Opinion works in practice. She explained how we support the public to share their stories safely, how moderation ensures constructive dialogue, and how organisations can turn these experiences into actionable insights.

And we were delighted to welcome Geraldine Knight, Care Opinion Engagement Worker at Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, who shared the journey of Perth and Kinross HSCP using Care Opinion. She demonstrated how public stories have helped shape local services, strengthen connections between staff and the community, and foster a culture of responsive, person-centred care.

The discussion highlighted how listening to stories can inspire action, reinforce good practice, and uncover opportunities for improvement, all through meaningful dialogue.

You can watch the full discussion below to hear directly from Fraser, Danielle and Geraldine about how stories are helping drive improvement across Scotland.

Every story shared has the power to inspire, guide improvement, and strengthen connections between staff members, patients & service users, and communities. Staff often tell us that reading positive stories on Care Opinion re-energises them and reconnects them with their purpose, while seeing how critical feedback leads to change builds a culture where listening feels safe. Feedback becomes something to value, not to fear, and is a vital tool for improving care and shaping better experiences.

Care Opinion provides a practical and human way to turn people’s stories into insight, action, and lasting positive change across services. Working with us also helps demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to engagement, quality, and continuous improvement, showing that you are listening and acting on what people say.

If you would like to explore how your team could use feedback to inspire, improve, and strengthen care, we would love to continue the conversation. Email us at subscribing@careopinion.org.uk.