What to Do When a Patient Leaves a Negative Review
You open your phone and there it is. A one-star review. Maybe it is from a patient you remember clearly. Maybe you have absolutely no idea who it is and suspect it’s fake. Either way, your stomach drops and your first instinct is probably to respond immediately, set the record straight and defend yourself.
Don't.
That impulse (completely understandable as it is) is one of the most common mistakes private doctors make online. And in a world where your digital reputation is your waiting list, the way you handle a negative review matters just as much as the review itself.
So to help, here is the strategy I advise my clients when it comes to negative Google reviews.
Step One: Give Yourself 24 Hours
Before you type a single word, step away. Responding in the heat of the moment almost never ends well. A defensive, detailed, or emotional response will attract far more attention than the original review -and it is your response that potential patients will read and judge you on.
Step Two: Understand Your GDPR and GMC Obligations
This is the part most doctors miss, and it’s absolutely paramount.
Under GDPR and GMC guidance on social media and online reviews, you cannot confirm or deny that someone is (or ever was) your patient. Even if you recognise the reviewer immediately, identifying them in a public response is a potential data breach. This applies even if they have named themselves.
What this means in practice: your public response must be carefully worded to acknowledge the concern without referencing any clinical detail, appointment information, or anything that could confirm a patient relationship.
Step Three: Write the Right Public Response
Your public response has one job - and it’s not to win the argument. It’s to demonstrate to every future patient reading it that you are professional, empathetic and take feedback seriously. A well-crafted response does three things:
Acknowledges the experience without validating a false account.
Expresses genuine concern without admitting liability.
Moves the conversation offline immediately.
Here is a template you can adapt:
"Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback. Providing an excellent experience for every person who comes through our doors is something we take very seriously. We are sorry to hear this was not reflected in your visit. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your concerns directly. Please do not hesitate to contact us at [email address]."
Short. Measured. Professional. That is all it needs to be. And look I know, sometimes this is the hardest thing to do when you know someone is being out of order in their review. But I can guarantee that later down the line you’ll be pleased you took this route.
Step Four: Know When to Flag or Report
Not all negative reviews are genuine, and you do have recourse. Most platforms (Google, Trustpilot, Doctify) have processes for reporting reviews that breach their terms of service. This includes reviews from people who were never your patient, reviews containing false factual claims, and reviews that are abusive or discriminatory.
Document the review (screenshot it) before flagging, in case it is removed and you need a record. If a review makes specific false clinical claims, take legal advice before responding publicly - this is where a solicitor, not just a PR consultant, should be in your corner.
A word of warning - there a multiple scam companies I’m seeing popping up at the moment claiming to be able to erase bad reviews. 1. They’re very unlikely to be able to do this anyway and often request an upfront fee and 2. Even if they did manage to erase it, this goes against Google’s T&Cs and if caught, you’ll be penalised heavily. It’s not worth the risk.
Step Five: Treat It as Intelligence
Once the immediate sting has faded, sit with it honestly. Is there any kernel of truth in the complaint even if the delivery was unfair? A pattern of reviews mentioning the same friction point (waiting times, follow-up communication, front-of-house experience) is valuable operational feedback, even when the tone is unkind.
The best-run private clinics treat their reviews as a regular audit of the patient journey. Not to dwell on them, but to use them.
Step Six: Invest in Proactive Reputation Management
The single most effective defence against a negative review is volume. A steady stream of genuine, positive patient reviews dilutes the impact of any single poor one - and signals consistent quality to both Google's algorithm and to prospective patients.
Build a simple, frictionless process for requesting reviews at the right moment in the patient journey. Most patients who had a good experience simply never think to leave one unless they are asked. Provide incentives for your reception team/PA to ask patients to review (a client of mine did this recently and he now has over 200 reviews generated in just under a year.) Or have a handy QR code displayed (like this) in your waiting room to encourage sign ups.
The Bigger Picture
Here is the thing most private doctors do not realise: a negative review is not the reputation crisis. A badly handled negative review is.
Patients are sophisticated. They understand that one unhappy experience does not define a clinician. What they are watching for is how you respond -with composure, empathy and professionalism. A thoughtful, well-worded public response can actually build more trust than a page of five-star reviews.
Your online reputation is not a side note to your clinical work. It is the first consultation every patient has with you - before they have ever walked through your door.
If you are concerned about your clinic's online reputation or want a strategic review of your digital footprint, the PR Foundations Power Hour is a good place to start. In a single focused session, we will audit exactly what prospective patients find when they search for you and build a clear plan to strengthen it. Get in touch to find out more.