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.

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Original feedback for

Hall Green Health


The doctor wouldn't see me face to face

I very recently have had a sore throat that has not improved with self medication. Went to a pharmacy, very unwell (lethargic, fever, faint, etc) simply to purchase more Strepsils. However, I must have stood out with how unwell I looked as I was approached by the person behind the pharmacy counter who asked if they could help. I ended up being prescribed antibiotics under the Pharmacy First scheme. Unfortunately the antibiotics never really helped and I continued to deteriorate once the course of antibiotics was completed. I contacted by GP practice by telephone at 8.30am (as I have a long term health condition) to see if I could get an appointment. The answer was NO. I was told that as I had a sore throat to go back to a pharmacy and be seen under the Pharmacy First scheme or alternatively if I didn't want to do that a GP could prescribe another course of the antibiotics the pharmacy had prescribed (however the GP wouldn't see me, prescription would be sent direct to pharmacy). I was too unwell to go out at this stage and opted for another course of the same antibiotics. Then later I received a call from the GP practice saying that a GP had looked at my medical records and decided after all that I should be seen face to face. So off I went to my GP practice. It turns out that the antibiotics I was initially prescribed under Pharmacy First were for tonsillitis. I didn't have tonsillitis I had a throat infection. So if I hadn't been seen face to face and the GP insisted I go back to Pharmacy First I would have been again prescribed the wrong antibiotics and my health further deteriorated possibly ending up in hospital. Coupled with the fact that the GP I then saw at the GP practice asked me if I had any allergies and when I told him what they were he insisted that I was wrong (even though my medical records list what I had told him) and that I must be allergic to Amoxicillin. I had to insist that I wasn't to which he said he would take no responsibility if anything happened to me. I have never been allergic to Amoxicillin. After the course of Amoxicillin I have fully recovered