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

Yardley Wood Health Centre


Poor communication

Communication with and from the practice is poor and difficult, and doesn't seem to be patient-centered. Medication on my repeat list has changed without consultation or notification or explanation, and requests for explanation have not been answered. While phone appointments are flexible and helpful, they are not made for specific times which is not at all helpful for people with work/child responsibilities. Even 30 min time slots would be an improvement. Medication has been changed against NICE guidance for diabetes management (that suggests treatment decisions should be made WITH the patient, and take account of patient requests).