Stories Shaping System Change

By August 2022, the pressure on Plymouth’s Emergency Department (ED) had reached critical levels. But instead of pointing fingers or seeking quick fixes, Belong in Plymouth asked a different question: what are we not hearing?

“There is energy from us and many others to do something,” wrote Matt Bell. And that something, it turned out, was rooted in listening. Karen Pilkington suggested recording interviews with ED leads and service users: “We can’t fix it all, but we can ensure these stories are told and fed back.”

This wasn’t just about gathering anecdotes—it was about building insight that could lead to system change. As more conversations surfaced—from the Red Cross, from mental health groups, from people with lived experience—a common thread emerged: isolation, not just illness, was driving people to crisis care.

“If there’s nowhere else to turn, people turn to ED,” one partner put it. Matt echoed this shared responsibility: “It’s OUR ED too.”

What made this approach different was its refusal to silo knowledge. Instead of collecting data for one purpose, the team committed to weaving it together—from informal chats to structured story fragments. The aim? Collective sensemaking.

This conversation isn’t over—it’s just getting started. But already, the project has reminded us that real solutions begin by listening to the people most impacted. If we want to shift from crisis response to community care, we have to start with the stories at the heart of the system.