Care Opinion Australia is run by a small but growing team of people, with the support, help and guidance of very many more.
Michael Greco, Co-Founder and CEO
Michael is one of the founding Directors and CEO of Care Opinion Australia which is a not-for-profit charity. In the UK, Professor Greco was Patient Experience Director for the NHS National Clinical Governance Support Team and the National Primary Care Development Team. In Australia, he is a Director on a number of not-for-profit Boards. He holds professor and senior research fellow posts at the School of Medicine, Griffith University (Australia) and the Medical School, University of Exeter (United Kingdom). His academic background focused on healthcare, evaluation and clinical pastoral education, and includes a PhD in medical education and a Bachelor of Theology.
Julie McGovern
I have worked in the area of patient experience since 1995 when I co-founded an international organisation focused on providing clinicians and healthcare practitioners with patient feedback for accreditation.
Following on from the success of this business, in 2011 I went on to be the co-founder of Care Opinion Australia, then known as Patient Opinion. This decision I credit to my belief in public feedback being complementary to the work of my earlier organisation, which was metric-based. Care Opinion, on the other hand, focuses more on narrative-based feedback or ‘storytelling’, as we prefer to call it.
After spending time in England to better understand the work of Care Opinion UK, I laboured tirelessly in ensuring that the platform performed productively across the Australian population and in particular, through a not-for-profit medium.
I have two degrees in demography and economics, with the emphasis being on population studies.
Alicia Reid, Patient Experience Lead/Operations Manager
I'm very excited to be in this role leading the day-to-day operations and supporting Care Opinion Australia's partners and stakeholders to make true person-centred health systems improvement. Care Opinion has a unique and special placed in our health system. The ability for anyone to provide feedback through the story of their experience, in their own words, directly to the service and providers who delivered it to them opens up a dialogue for improvement and culture change that is unparalleled.
I am thrilled to be making a positive contribution to the future in health and community services that has the patient at the centre, where services are safe and will listen and respond to the communities they serve. I think we all deserve that.
Rebecca Somerville, Client Liaison Lead
I am yo
ur ‘go-to person’ for assistance with questions around stories posted on Care Opinion. I am here to help anyone having trouble with how to reply to a story, needing advice regarding the appropriate resources for their facility and guidance with what is done elsewhere that may be useful to you.
You will find me at the end of the phone giving you support and encouragement, as there are times when everyone needs to know that they are on the right track and doing well. So, consider me your guide, your champion, your trouble-shooter and the one who tries to keep it real, knowing that a bit of understanding and a good laugh go a very long way on a stressful day.
Joslyne Smith, Project Officer
To ensure you get the most out of your subscription to the Care Opinion platform, my role is to primarily conduct online training sessions demonstrating how to navigate the website from a subscribing member's access.
Beyond these sessions, you will have my ongoing support and assistance on any queries you may have on how to use certain features and functionalities on the site, such as data collection, report generation, manage your members' list, and many more.
I am very much looking forward to working with and sharing knowledge on the Care Opinion platform with your service.
Sarah Higgins, Administration and Communications Officer
I manage our social media and engagement activities for Care Opinion Australia and I specialise in collaborating with subscribers to sing praises and promote the stories about your service that demonstrate the dedication and efforts of your hardworking staff, as well as congratulating them on their wonderful responses – even to those really tricky stories. This really gives staff a boost to receive that well-earned recognition. While you may hear from me about potential collaborations, questions about stories or even looking to feature you in our newsletter, you are always welcome to reach out to me with your own ideas and requests to highlight your staff’s achievements.
I am so excited to have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with your service. I am eager to explore how the Care Opinion platform can reach right down to the ground level, bringing real feedback to the staff and how we can share those stories with your community.
Ellen Margaret, Moderation Lead
When stories or responses are submitted to Care Opinion, they need to be reviewed before we can publish and share them publicly online. This is where I come in! My role is to take care of the many stories we receive through the platform to not only ensure they are in keeping with our philosophy of being safe and constructive for everyone, but they are also heard by the right people.
During the moderation process, I will make sure the story is assigned to the correct healthcare service, passes our publication criteria and is tagged for searching and reporting purposes. There are times when I will need to make minor changes to an author’s story to protect their anonymity and fit within our policy. However, I work hard to only alter what is absolutely necessary so as to not detract from the author’s meaning or authenticity. I will often need to contact authors and health service providers over the course of a story’s journey, so keep a look out for my emails in your mail inbox!
I wholeheartedly value the trust that authors place in our platform to handle such significant moments in their life. Whether detailing their most special time or the time they felt the most vulnerable, I regard all involvement as no small feat and of equal importance. This is their experience, their feedback, their voice and I feel honoured to play a part in enabling them to be heard.
Craig Hislop, IT Officer
