New website looking for your health care stories
By Lethbridge Herald on June 4, 2025.
Sam Leishman
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Albertans have a new online platform to share their lived experiences directly with the provincial health care system.
Care Opinion initially launched 20 years ago in the United Kingdom to give citizens there an equal opportunity to tell stories regarding their personal health care – good or bad – and contribute to meaningful collaboration and change.
CareOpinion.ca debuted here in Alberta at the beginning of May. The website is operated by the non-profit, citizen-led Imagine Citizens Network (ICN).
Patients across the province, or those with a close relationship to a patient, are being encouraged to submit stories that have happened within the last three years.
Each story is carefully reviewed by a team of moderators, then posted to the Care Opinion Canada website along with searchable tags based on the themes included in the story, as well as the names of specific facilities, if they are provided.
“Our goal for Care Opinion is not meant to be a soapbox to complain, but rather be a safe place to contribute your story,” says Don McLeod, ICN executive director. “The point is to tell your story and share your lived experience so that the system can learn and collectively we can make improvement happen in Alberta.”
McLeod says he understands that some may struggle to trust the moderation process. However, he explains that the goal is to protect the confidentiality of patients and caregivers, and remove anything that might be considered discriminatory, slanderous or offensive without compromising the message at the heart of the story. A full statement of moderation principles is available on the Care Opinion Canada website.
Each story is also assigned a criticality score between one and five, with five being the most critical.
McLeod says care providers, whether they are subscribed to the service or not, are notified about every story and given an opportunity to either craft a response themselves or have Care Opinion Canada respond on their behalf.
“Everyone is always a little concerned about an online platform like this, but our moderation process is very constructive,” McLeod noted. “Over 70 per cent of the stories over 20 years in the UK have been positive. The biggest impact of Care Opinion has been improving staff morale and focusing on what works well. In Alberta, we just crossed the first 100 story line, and already we have almost 80 per cent positive stories.”
Several thousand care providers, including those across the local Chinook Primary Care Network, are already subscribed to Care Opinion Canada, with more being added all the time. McLeod told the Herald that subscribers must sign a two-year agreement, and the service can be customized based on the provider’s needs.
The website is receiving some financial support from Alberta Innovates and Alberta Health over the next three years, meaning that providers can access Care Opinion Canada for a minimal fee for the time being. McLeod hopes his organization will become more self-sufficient in the future, but this government funding will help with operating costs in the meantime.
McLeod adds that the funding will not compromise the platform’s commitment to be a neutral space for patient stories to be heard.
“The lived experiences of citizens, patients, family members and community members are important pieces of evidence to change the system. Our sole focus is to gather people to tell their stories and to make sure those stories get rolled into reports that inform policy changes at the system level, but also how programs and services are delivered at individual organizations. We value independence and we are also recognized as a trusted organization across the health system in Alberta. We write reports based on what we hear, not what the government wants to hear.”
While there is still plenty of work to be done in Alberta, McLeod says Care Opinion Canada is already making connections with the other provinces and territories. He is hopeful that conversations will begin within the next year or two to launch the service in other parts of the country.
17-16
I tried sharing my loved one’s healthcare story on CareOpinion.ca and was impressed with how respectfully and responsibly the platform listened. It felt like my voice finally had a place to be heard and contribute to the improvement of the system. After submitting, I turned on Sprunki Retake as a reward – comforting and hopeful!
Operated by the non-profit Imagine Citizens Network block blast adventure, the site aims to foster meaningful dialogue and improvements within the provincial health system.Each submission undergoes a moderation process to ensure confidentiality and constructive feedback.