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

First Care Practice


Unresponsive to disabled folk

Most issues seem to stem from either bad management or lack of confidence and subsequent avoidance of their responsibilities. Manager seems loathed to talk to patients. To get a sick note they insist someone who is unsafe leaving the house due to the conditions they NEED the sicknote for, should come in 3 separate times to tell them what they want written down on 2 different forms (why not one form, why can't I do that on the first day?) and then to pay in cash, then to pick up. No options for digital support for disabled people. Manager has restricted the NHS app severely limiting its function; I don't have my allergies, doctors, appointments, letters available on there. Only thing I can do is book a face-to-face app (not a phone one), and order medication, which I think they've now taken off the app according to text message? If you have a care plan that requires hospital referral if bloodwork shows certain things, the drs will NEVER follow the care plan. They will always cryptically insist you book an appointment. Make you wait 2 months for this app, when you go to the app the GP doesn't know why you're there, then they have to look it up and start to offer you the wrong treatment because no one pays attention to your care plan. This routine negligence can be dangerous when things are time-limited. I would go into more issues but I know my post would be blocked. Needless to say I don't think disabled/chronically ill people should go to this surgery. One positive that stops this being 1 star is that it was the first and only GP to allow me to use Mx as my title, which has been extremely helpful, enabling it across all NHS services as a result. Their voice notification in the reception room even says 'MX' when calling you out which is nice. I hope changing GP doesn't undo that!