Writing a powerful case study
Case studies do something numbers cannot: they make the impact of social prescribing visible to people who don't read spreadsheets. scores tell a commissioner the service is working in aggregate; a well-written case study tells them what working looks like for one human being.
The & case study template is the structure to use. The interactive Case study tool walks you through every section.
What makes a case study work
- A real story. Anonymised, but truthful. Don't compose composites that didn't happen — readers can tell, and it undermines trust.
- The person's own words. With consent. A sentence in their voice is worth a paragraph in yours. "I've got a reason to wash the dishes again" says more than three paragraphs of professional summary.
- The "why", not just the "what". What were the contributing factors? What was the 's reasoning? What didn't work first time? Showing the thinking makes the case study a learning artefact, not a marketing one.
- Specific details. "David started attending a men's cooking group on Tuesdays" lands. "David engaged with community-based interventions" doesn't.
- Honesty about challenges. What didn't work? What got in the way? What did the try that didn't help? Reviewers and readers trust case studies more when they include difficulty. A case study with no setbacks is a press release.
- A clear arc. Beginning (the person before), middle (the work and what changed), end (where they are now). Without an arc, it's a record, not a story.
Tailor to the audience
The same case can be re-cut for different readers. Be explicit about who you are writing for:
| Audience | What they need | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Supervision / Action Learning Set | Detailed reflection on the work — challenges, learning, what to try differently | 600–1000 words |
| Commissioner | Outcomes, evidence, system value, replicability — paired with quantitative measures | 400–600 words |
| Public (web, leaflet, presentation) | Plain English, no acronyms, clear human story | 200–400 words |
| Media / social media | Very brief — lead with the human story, single key message, strong opening line | 100–150 words |
The Case study tool has an audience selector that adapts the prompts for the cut you are writing.
Consent — non-negotiable
The framework is unambiguous: written consent must be obtained before using a service-user story, quote or photograph in any external communication. Things to make explicit when getting consent:
- Where it will appear — leaflet, website, social media, conference presentation, internal training, regional report.
- For how long — ongoing, or limited (e.g. one campaign).
- Whether it can be quoted directly, paraphrased, or both.
- Whether photographs may be used, and if so where.
- The right to withdraw consent at any time.
Your employer's communications team can advise on the consent form, and your regional health system may have a standard form you can use. Don't improvise; get this right.
Honest practical pitfalls
- Don't write retrospectively from memory — gaps and biases creep in. Use the Reflection tool and case notes as you go, then assemble.
- Don't quote anything you can't verify the person said. "She felt empowered" is your interpretation. "She told me 'I felt like I had options for the first time in months'" is her words.
- Avoid hero narratives. The is not the hero of the story. The person being supported is. The is the connector and the witness.
- Avoid "tragedy to triumph" arcs that flatten the person's complexity. Real stories have ambiguity. Keep some.
Where to start
Use the Case study tool. It includes the framework's full eleven-section structure, an audience selector, and a consent reminder. Save your draft, refine it over multiple sessions, and print to PDF when it is ready to share.