Right to Respond

As part of our commitment to providing an honest and transparent view of health and social care services, Healthwatch Birmingham encourages providers to respond to comments the public have left.

Alongside ensuring providers can have a fair say in discussions about their services, replying to reviews demonstrates evidence of responding to patient feedback for the CQC, who regularly monitor our Feedback Centre. It is also an effective way to recruit service users for any wider engagement work at your organisation.

Guidelines for provider responses:

  • Keep language appropriate and civil
  • Remain professional and treat people’s comments fairly
  • Engage with the content of the review by addressing specific points and avoid cut and pasting a standard response
  • Don’t disclose the service user’s personal details or any potentially identifying information
  • Where appropriate leave organisational contact details e.g PALS or patient engagement teams for people to get further information

Remember: your response will be seen by everyone who uses the Feedback Centre, not just the original reviewer. All responses are moderated in accordance with our moderation policy.

For full terms and conditions, including a guide to how right to reply works for service providers download this guide.

Your reply

* Required fields

Original feedback for

Al Abbas Islamic Centre Vaccination Centre


Not wheelchair accessible, confusing location

This vaccination centre is misleadingly named "Al Abbas Islamic Centre" when it is NO LONGER at the Islamic Centre but at the Moseley Community Hub building a few hundred metres away. The Community Hub is NOT wheelchair accessible, there is a single step. Staff claimed there was a portable ramp but there was no signage indicating this and no way a wheelchair user could get staff attention. I couldn't tell who was staff or not cos they weren't identifiable. There was no one visible near the main entrance/exit. The SMS notification for vaccination only gives the name of the Islamic Centre not the full address. The address is confusing cos it lists the Islamic Centre then the Community Hub address. I don't know this area, so we went to the Islamic centre (following my SMS alert info) in an Uber which means they couldn't drive us to the Community Hub cos of the Uber rules on destinations. My partner had to push my wheelchair down the middle of a double parked road full of potholes and cars trying to get in and out of the community hub car park while it was very cold and windy. Most of the staff talked to my ambulant partner and not me and had to be told and reminded to talk to me as the person being vaccinated. It was extremely crowded, not well ventilated and there wasn't really space for me in my wheelchair in most of the waiting areas. I couldn't hear at all cos it was far far too noisy, too echoey, too many people in one space. Limited privacy, jabs were done in a communal space which I've not had before. The staff were nice but not very clueful. I asked for the details of the person in charge to request the wheelchair accessible status is updated but never received this info. I will have to complain via 119. Wheelchair accessible should not be relying on a portable "on request" ramp as they are not always suitable for all users.