Patient Opinion

Patient Opinion is a ‘social enterprise' set up in 2005 by Sheffield GP Paul Hodgkin. It is a non-profit organisation which exists to provide a place where patients can share their experiences of illness, hospitals, treatment and the NHS. Patients are encouraged to suggest ways in which the NHS can be improved, vital given that it is going through one of the most difficult periods in its history. Patient postings are then sent on to relevant people within the NHS, who post replies.

The website is well organised and easy to find your way around. There's a very useful help section which gives you all you need to know to make good use of the site. As well as adding your voice to the mix, you can search for opinions or for services. The Bblog collates the best stories from around the site and features news from the NHS and Patient Opinion itself. Some information is also available in a number of languages, including Arabic, Urdu and Punjabi.

Patient Opinion deservedly won the Community Activism Award at the 2008 New Statesman Media Awards. It is an invaluable source of information and one of the most relevant examples of the contemporary vogue for the expression of personal opinion and the sharing of private experience.