• Home
  • What We Do
    • About us
    • Annual reports
    • Meet the team
    • Meet the board
    • Vacancies
  • Share Your Views
    • Find a service
  • How We Make A Difference
    • Investigations
    • Consultations
  • How We Can Help You
    • Help with the NHS and social care
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer with us
    • Events
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • What We Do
    • About us
    • Annual reports
    • Meet the team
    • Meet the board
    • Vacancies
  • Share Your Views
    • Find a service
  • How We Make A Difference
    • Investigations
    • Consultations
  • How We Can Help You
    • Help with the NHS and social care
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer with us
    • Events
  • Contact Us

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

Your response is being submitted, please wait...

Original feedback for

Ashfield Surgery



My neighbour rang 170 times

I know so many people, me included who have phoned over and over again as instructed after 8.30am to try to get an appointment. My neighbour rang 170 times trying to get help about a baby. Also reports of rude, short and curt responses from receptionists because of course there are no appointments left when/if you do get through. They should make at least a few advance appointments. Being told to try again tomorrow after trying all morning is unacceptable. Also patients are told to not arrive early and announce they are waiting outside. Sometimes the weather is appalling and I have had a very bad back- in agony waiting standing outside because the Doctor was running late. They could socially distance patients waiting inside in the waiting room. To think this telephone appointment before/instead of face to face might go on indefinitely as told to me by a doctor is so depressing. Some complaints can be easily dealt with by phone only, but if the patient wants to see the Doctor it should be possible without telephone consultation first which is only doubling Doctors time. It took over 3 weeks for a doctor to issue me with a private referral - I even enclosed a SAE. We can see dentists, opticians etc - GP surgeries should be open as well with Covid precautions. We have all had enough of the way the Surgery is operating. Need more receptionists - better trained as well Prize Draw Data

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. We'll be in touch shortly.

Website and Digital Marketing by White Bear
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Call Us 0800 652 5278