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

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Original feedback for

Warstock CMHT


Terrible & borderline corrupt

Absolutely terrible service. I was struggling with brain fog and short term memory issues and would come out of the sessions not really remembering what was said. I decided to record my session to listen back to afterwards. I didn’t do it covertly, I placed my phone in between us. Dr didn’t notice I’d recorded until towards the end. That’s when I stood up, ordered me to leave immediately and that I “MUST GET HIS PERMISSION”. Terminated the session and told me to leave. A few days later I receive a call from this same Doctor at 12:30 (assumed lunch break). Asking me if I was recording the phone call, I said I wasn’t but immediately took it as a sign I probably should be, so I started recording. To be told what I have done is “illegal” and I have “broken the law”, and I “must delete it”. Telling me he has spoken with his “legal department” and that they’ve said it’s illegal and I must delete it. He didn’t seem interested in allowing me to talk with this legal department though. I tried to explain my reasons for recording it and that it isn’t against the law at all and even referenced official information from legal websites and The British Medical Journal stating that it is totally fine for patients to record their own private session. He proceeded to say “It will be good for me, and good for you if you delete it”… How anybody can tell me this isn’t medical gaslighting! I was then called by one of his colleagues, who wasn’t a Doctor but a support worker. Who when I said “I have the recording of him threatening legal action” he tells me “I don’t think that happened” (I also recorded this telephone conversation). NHS PALS have refused to listen to the recordings, but we’re happy to “take my complaint on board”. Shortly after I get diagnosed with “Personality Disorder Unspecified”. Which is confusing because I don’t know whether me feeling like this could’ve been a retaliatory diagnosis is rational.