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

Zinnia Centre


An autism unfriendly and oblivious service

I went into the service for a second opinion having been registered as a patient at the trust for years whilst all the clinicians I met there failed to identify that I've autism with which I was diagnosed recently by a specialist team. Upon arrival, I was body and bag searched extensively by a big armed man who gave me a proper shock from the contact. It raised my stress levels for days after. But leaving this initial shock and disappointment aside, I then met two psychiatrists who demonstrated a complete oblivion about autism and how it affects me and what it means to the way I communication. Having been scarred badly by my previous treatments at the trust which failed to notice and adjust to my autism resulting in a medical trauma and CPTSD symptoms, I do not feel safe to use this service. I saw no evidence of reasonable adjustments at the place nor special autism training in the clinicians as required under the autism act and I genuinely do not believe that they understood my mental health needs at all. Twitter is better help to autistic patients with mental health needs in my opinion, I have found a lot more care there in my experience. I keep being referred to PALS for my issues which is of no use as they do nothing about them. I do not recommend autistic people use this service. It is unhealthy, unfriendly and untherapeuric.