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

Oakleaf Medical Practice


Better but still lacking

1. Appointment Booking Process: Appointment lines open at 8am with bookings allegedly done in order for the first half of the day. Afternoon appointments require a call at 12pm, but these slots are often already booked by then, indicating they were likely booked in the morning. 2. Hold Times: Calling after 11am typically results in being placed first in line but still waiting on hold for over 10 minutes. 3. Wait Times and DNA Policy: Wait times to see a GP can exceed an hour despite having a scheduled appointment. Patients arriving over 5 minutes late are marked as "Did Not Attend" (DNA) and asked to reschedule. 4. Response to Frustration: Expressing mild frustration with the service may lead to a note in the medical record indicating the patient was abusive, a situation experienced personally and by others. 5. **Miscommunication Between Practices**: Amaanah Medical Practice books appointments for Oakleaf Medical Practice without notifying patients of the difference. This has led to patients being marked as DNA because the practices are 25 minutes apart by walking. Improvements have been made with self check-in and offered services, but there is still room for further enhancement.