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

The Hawthorns Surgery


Impossible to secure an appointment on-line

Absolutely dreadful - although nothing much worse than normal; when attempting to secure an appointment. In 10 years of being at this surgery, I can count on one hand the amount of appointments that I've had! It is almost impossible to secure an appointment on-line, more so recently. Forcing me to resort to using the antiquated telephone service, calling at 8.30 am on the dot waiting on hold for 55 mins, only to be told there are up to full capacity and suggest I contact 111, upon doing so, they referred me back to the surgery with a instruction that I needed a Dr allocation within 2 hrs, another 40 minutes wait on the phone, to be told not possible and referred me back to NHS (quite unbelievable) Eventually, the receptionist offered me the Badger Clinic contact details (who were absolutely fabulous and most accommodating. I had reason to also contact the surgery for results for an Ultrasound - this time i was keep waiting 1.5 hours on one day and then 60 minutes the following day!