NHS.UK - Responding to Negative Feedback
Negative comments posted on the NHS.UK website. . .
GPC has been made aware that there is some confusion concerning the procedures in place when a practice receives notification of negative comments posted on the NHS.UK website.
To clarify. . .
- Practices are notified of a comment pertaining to them following the publication of the comment.
- An alert is sent to a named recipient at the practice in question (usually the Practice Manager although this will be designated by the practice).
Practices then have two options. . .
- Post a reply, in order to put across the practice’s views and deal with any issues raised. This will appear immediately below the original comment. We strongly urge all practices to reply to negative comments very carefully as this can act as a very useful defence against an unfair comment, as well as enhancing the appearance of the practice in the eyes of the public. Keep it professional and factual rather than aggressive/defensive.
- Report the comment to the website moderator as unsuitable.
NHS.UK have a 'Comments Policy' on their website which states that should a comment be flagged by a practice as unsuitable, then this will alert their moderators to take down the comment, consider it, and then either remove it or re-instate it as they deem appropriate.
The following NHS.UK guidance may assist practices in managing any comments they receive:
- Managing Patient Feedback that includes some best practice tips near the end of the webpage.
