Britain’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will (according to The Times) cite eBay as an inspiration for a public service reform White Paper released later today. Among proposals designed to offer greater transparency for parents, pupils and patients, Gordon Brown will say that: “people will take it for granted that they will access other people’s reviews and ratings before buying something on eBay and yet we do not have systematic access to other people’s experiences when choosing a GP practice or nursery.”
Have you stopped sneering yet? I do hope so. Because it’s a fascinating point. We all know that eBay’s feedback system has its flaws but a meaningful and clever use of user reviews may be just the shot in the arm that this country’s public services really need.
15 Responses
Would be a good idea to have the review feedback system on himself first.
Can I just say to the previous commenter – that’s hilarious!
Yeah, but will Gordon be able to leave me a neg if he doesn’t like his feedback??? 😆
I think Green custard is better
Yes & the government can spend a zillion on hiring some graduate consultants to come up with some totally duff solution and can further shun their responsibility to look after public services.
Our Doctors could have star badges like the staff at maccy d’s. And we could neg a teacher if she complains about our kid being late.
funnily enough the BBC are doing an article on teachers ,and mention an online rating system
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7933690.stm
Actually this is quite a good idea in principle but the implementation & delivery will be botched as usual by NuLabor.
Of course they should start with a review system for MPs and Ministers first as well as the major Government departments (e.g. Home Office, MoD) so the system can be tested against some of the worst wasters of taxpayer money and most incompetant public officials and politicians.
On a more serious note a feedback system is essentially worthless unless both parties can comment upon each other and both are prepared to take it seriously and do something about any issues raised – can you see that happening in Whitehall?
They have chosen the ‘easy’ targets first – healthcare and educational professionals who for a variety of reasons are seen as a nice soft target and in many cases will not be able to respond properly to comments in any event due to confidentiality issues.
It is the central Goverment machine that needs to be sorted and they should step up to the plate first – as if!
Of course this ‘initiative’ will require a new ‘strategy’ and ‘pathway’ to ‘enable’ the ‘consumer-citizen’ blah blah blah and don’t forget the need for a massive IT database as well.
Consultants and IT vendors please form an orderly queue at the trough marked…..
pip pip
I’ve heard about this sort of thing in the medical community. What you end up with is patients rating their doctors on things they have no business rating. The doctors are now requiring them to sign a waiver removing their rights to leave such ratings.
ebauyerfb:
“What you end up with is patients rating their doctors on things they have no business rating.”
Such as?
“The doctors are now requiring them to sign a waiver removing their rights to leave such ratings.”
I’m suspicious of any situation where people in positions of power remove rights. Why? What are they scared of?
Ideally it would be just great if ‘labor’ just packed there bags & done a runner…..
Had enough of them changing this & that (names in particular) when all these ‘new ideas’ are just a smoke screen to hide the truth……and that’s after 12 years in power.
Oh, I forgot, It’s the conservatives fault…..still!!.
@ # 9
I honestly don’t remember. I just remember reading about this in a few recent news articles and in a law school paper written where they describe one of my sites when talking about the Pollyanna effect. Then they went on to talk about inappropriate uses of feedback and rating doctors was one of their examples.
No one wants a negative review. And I’m sure many things are out of the doctor’s control that they may otherwise be blamed for.
https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_he_me/med_gagging_patients;_ylt=AmQhMIsraiudtHiYaU4BWL0DW7oF
@11
If I made claims like yours, you’d (quite rightly) challenge me to provide examples. So please extend me the same courtesy. Express a view, by all means.
Have you got a UK example re the doctor expecting patients to sign a waiver?
dw
@ # 12
I understand what you are saying. I sincerely apologize that I didn’t bookmark my sources so I could prove my case. Maybe one day I’ll come across them again and give you concrete examples.
No. I’m American, like 30% of your viewers, so I tend to not pay any attention to UK specific news. I’m not sure how that is exactly relevant to my part of the discussion. Waivers do happen in the US which is what I’m familiar with.
I presume the doctors in question will not be able leave a negative rating for the patient?
this is just like checkatrade….which incidently is very overpriced and a waste of time.