Healthwatch Herefordshire has launched a new online engagement tool called The Feedback Centre, to help people share their experiences about local health and care services.

Healthwatch Herefordshire’s job is to ensure that the voice of patients, carers and service users is at the heart of improving health and social care services. Healthwatch gathers the views of the public and represents those views to local organisations and makes sure they are taken into account.

The new online Feedback Centre will strengthen the voice of people in Herefordshire. It is accessible on a variety of devices including mobile phones, desktop PCs and tablets, just by going to the Healthwatch Herefordshire website.

People will be able to easily rate and share experiences of services in an engaging and simple way from wherever they are and receive responses from providers.

Christine Price, Chief Officer of Healthwatch Herefordshire, said: “The Feedback Centre tool will support our engagement plans. We have much to be proud of with the health and social care services of Herefordshire that people use every day, we should recognise and celebrate this.

“But sometimes things go wrong and need improving, so the voice of our community must be heard to help get things right.”

“That is why we have developed a simple yet powerful system that is accessible to the widest possible group of people from wherever they are.

“Millions of people every day use online review systems to give their opinion about other services or products they have bought or used. We want to harness that behaviour to get patients, service users and their families to give us vital information about the health and social care.”

All reviews are vetted before appearing online to ensure an honest representation of each service provider is given, and service providers can submit a response to each review if they wish.

Healthwatch will work with health and social care providers to create a transparent online forum and culture of using customer feedback to improve services and celebrate good services.

It is hoped providers will also signpost patients to the feedback centre and post the feedback centre widget on their websites, to encourage openness and transparency.

To rate and review your latest health or social care experience go to the website: www.healthwatchherefordshire.co.uk