Patients urged to write TripAdvisor-style reviews after visiting GP or health professional in Milton Keynes

The city’s health watchdog service is urging more people to leave a review after visiting their GP or health professional in MK.

Healthwatch Milton Keynes works hard to ensure NHS leaders and other decision makers hear the public’s voice and uses people’s feedback to improve the standard of local care.

Yet, despite review culture being generally on the rise, only a small percentage of people bother to feed back on health services.

A new survey has shown people are almost four times more likely to share their thoughts on a dinner out or takeaway than on NHS services.

When polled, 84% of adults said they would likely leave a review if they had a positive or negative experience of a meal out or takeaway or ordering products online.

Yet when asked if they had if they would provide feedback after visiting their doctor, nurse or another healthcare professional - just one in ten (11%) people said yes. 

Healthwatch experts say patient feedback can enable the NHS to spot issues and identify where services may need more resource or other support.

Healthwatch Milton Keynes Chief Executive Officer, Maxine Taffetani said: “In MK, over 2,000 people shared their experiences of health and social care with us last year. For anyone who’s sceptical about speaking out, the evidence really does stack up. Thanks to local feedback, we’ve recently secured improvements to local care homes, mental health services, raised awareness of peoples’ rights when it comes to finding a GP, and much more.

“Right now, we’re particularly keen to hear from anyone with experiences of discharge from hospital, weight management services and cancer treatment services.”

Louise Ansari, National Director of Healthwatch England, said: "There has been a massive rise in ‘review culture’, which, if harnessed, could make a real difference to local NHS and social care services.

"Feedback about what is and isn’t working plays a crucial role in helping care services spot issues and understand how they can improve quality, safety, and efficiency.  

"So next time you use a health or care service, take a moment to share your experience. It won't take long and could make a real difference in making care better for you and your community."