The school report nobody asked for...
Before I book anywhere for tea, I check the Google reviews. We all do it. If a place has 3.2 stars and someone’s written 600 words about a lukewarm chip, I’m off somewhere else.
Now swap the restaurant for your GP practice, and the lukewarm chip for “couldn’t get an appointment at 8am”, and you’ve got a problem that’s been bubbling away in general practice for years.
At the UK LMCs conference in Belfast back in May, GP leaders voted to ask Google to remove reviews of GP practices, as Pulse recently reported. The motion came from West Sussex LMC and was carried on all four points. It asks the four national GP committees to:
- Push for star ratings and league-table style comparisons of practices to come off public platforms
- Get formal recognition that confidentiality stops practices correcting inaccurate or one-sided comments
- Press for fair ways to respond to public criticism that protect confidentiality, professional standards and staff safety
- Petition Google to extend the block it already has on school reviews to every GP practice in the UK
That last one is the clever bit. Google has already switched off reviews for schools in the UK and Ireland, after a campaign led by a headteacher and leaders from around 50 schools. So it’s not completely pie in the sky.
Fair play to the LMCs
I’ll be honest, they’ve got a point. We read a lot of patient comments across the practice pages we look after, and some of what gets aimed at receptionists and care navigators is pretty grim.
Dr Matt Greenwood from West Sussex LMC, who proposed the motion, put it well: “Currently, we have no control over this very influential and damaging online environment.” He argued that reviews “undermine trust and relationships needed for good patient care”, and that they hit staff morale and retention.
Dr Paul Evans from Gateshead LMC made the point that people “can say what they like without fear”. And the staff on the receiving end often live in the same town, shop in the same Tesco and send their kids to the same schools.
Then there’s the bit that really stings. A restaurant can reply with “actually, sir, you ordered the chips at 10:58pm”. A GP practice can’t. Patient confidentiality means you can’t set the record straight, even when the review is flat-out wrong. It’s a bit like being asked to play a match with your hands tied behind your back, while the opposition gets to referee.
But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater
Before we all grab our pitchforks, it’s worth saying that Google reviews aren’t all bad. Not even close.
Some negative reviews are completely fair. If several patients in a month say they’ve been stuck on hold for ages, that’s not trolling, that’s feedback. And it’s free feedback, which every practice manager knows is worth its weight in gold.
Then there are the good ones, and there are lots of them. Reviews that name the receptionist who went the extra mile, the nurse who put a nervous patient at ease, or the GP who took the time to listen. Those reviews:
- Recognise hard work from staff who rarely get a public thank you
- Build patient confidence, especially for people new to the area choosing where to register
- Shine a light on the things the practice is doing really well
Whatever happens on this topic, there’s clearly value in recognising positive patient experiences alongside addressing legitimate concerns. The challenge is finding a fair and balanced approach that protects staff while giving patients a voice.
Will Google actually do it?
My money’s on “not any time soon”. As a Blackburn Rovers fan, I know a thing or two about hope, and I know it’s best kept in moderation.
Schools are one thing. GP practices are healthcare providers, and Google will argue patients want reviews to help them choose where to register. A few GPs in the comments under the Pulse piece made another fair point: switch off Google reviews and the criticism just moves to Facebook, Nextdoor or the local community group instead.
And here’s the thing people forget. Even if the stars disappear tomorrow, your Google listing doesn’t. For loads of patients, that listing is the first thing they see. It’s your opening hours, your phone number, your directions and your link to online consultations. It’s the digital front door of the practice, and it’s open 24/7 whether you’re looking after it or not.
If you haven’t claimed it, Google is filling in the gaps for you. That’s how patients end up turning up on a bank holiday, or ringing a number that hasn’t worked since 2019.
So what can you do in the meantime?
While the national committees take on the big tech giants, there’s plenty practices can do right now:
- Claim and verify your Google Business Profile. If you don’t own it, you can’t fix it.
- Keep the basics right. Opening hours, bank holiday closures, phone numbers, website and online consultation links.
- Reply to reviews, carefully. You can’t discuss someone’s care, and you don’t even confirm they’re a patient. But a calm, professional reply that thanks them and invites them to contact the practice manager directly shows everyone else reading that somebody’s listening.
- Encourage honest feedback. Let’s face it, when something goes wrong, we’re often much quicker to leave a review than when everything goes well. Plenty of patients have positive experiences but never think to share them. Encouraging all patients to leave honest feedback, good or bad, can help paint a more balanced picture of the practice and recognise the great work staff do every day.
This is exactly why we built Google Reviews Management into our Social Media Managed Service.
We’ll claim and verify your Google Business Profile, keep an eye on your reviews and feedback, and respond on your behalf in a way that protects your reputation and stays on the right side of confidentiality. It sits right alongside our social media service, so your whole online presence is looked after in one place.
So your team can get on with looking after patients, rather than refreshing Google at 11pm wondering who “Dave K” is and what he’s got against the phone system.
