Friends and family test for hospital units

FROM today, all patients who stay in hospital or visit accident and emergency departments will be asked if they would recommend the hospital’s services to a friend.

By The Newsroom

Published 1st Apr 2013, 01:00 BST

Patients will have six choices of answer, ranging from “extremely likely” to “extremely unlikely” and will also be invited to answer follow-up questions to give  more detail on reasons for their answer.

Results, drilling down to individual wards, will be published on NHS Choices, allowing the public to compare patient feedback and make choices about their care. It will also be used to allow hospitals to identify areas of concern and share best practice around the health service.

Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “The Friends and Family test is a really simple way for patients to let us know if we could improve the standard of care we’re giving, and that’s really important.

“Giving compassionate care is at the heart of what we do and listening to the experiences and feedback of patients is central to NHS values.”