Why We Created the Care Opinion Newsletter – and How It Came to Life

At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, listening to patient and carer voices is at the heart of everything we do. Feedback isn’t just a tick-box exercise—it’s a powerful tool for learning, improving, and celebrating the incredible work of our teams. That’s why we launched the Care Opinion Catch-Up Newsletter: a dedicated space to share stories, insights, and resources that keep engagement front and centre.

The newsletter is sent every three months from our Trust’s generic email address to 442 subscribers, of which 412 are trained responders. It’s introduced during the initial Care Opinion training session so responders know that any new information, updates, or resources will always be communicated through this newsletter. This ensures consistency and keeps everyone informed.

Why This Newsletter Matters

• Amplifying Voices:    Every story shared on Care Opinion represents a real experience. By circulating these stories, we ensure that feedback reaches the people who can act on it.
• Celebrating Success: From the Infant Feeding Team’s compassionate care to the Podiatry Arrow Team’s milestone of 150 stories, these achievements deserve recognition. They remind us of the difference we make every day.
• Driving Improvement: Feedback isn’t just positive—it’s constructive. Highlighting trends and insights helps teams identify what’s working and where we can do better.
• Building Community: The newsletter connects staff across services, creating a shared sense of purpose and pride in patient-centred care.

Click here to read the newsletter:  H&W Newsletter December 2025-compressed.pdf

How We Built It

• Listening First: We started by asking what staff needed—quick updates, practical resources, and recognition for their hard work.
• Making It Accessible: The newsletter combines bite-sized data (like story volumes and response rates) with links to training webinars and support materials, so teams can learn and grow at their own pace.
• Celebrating Inclusivity: We spotlight traditional feedback channels like phone and freepost alongside digital options, ensuring everyone has a voice.
• Keeping It Visual: Dashboards, shout-outs, and festive touches make the newsletter engaging and easy to read.
• Powered by Data: All the figures and insights you see—such as story counts, response times, and feedback trends—come directly from reports generated through the Care Opinion platform. These reports allow us to track engagement, measure impact, and share accurate, up-to-date information with teams across the Trust.

Patient and Carer Stories Dashboard

Every three months the team creates a visual one page dashboard. It is used to show the work taking place around engagement and experience within the team and is reported on at the Quality and Safety Committee.

What’s Next

This newsletter is just the beginning. We’ll continue to evolve it based on the teams feedback—because just like our services, communication works best when it’s shaped by the people who use it.