Friends and Family Test

The NHS Friends and Family Test, a patient feedback tool already operating for some hospital services, is continuing to roll out across the NHS and went live across all 8,000 GP practices on 1 December. It will be used in community and mental health services across England from 1 January.

The Friends and Family Test aims to complement more traditional ways of finding out what patients think, including the annual patient survey and local patient participation groups, but is ongoing and provides feedback very quickly to the people who can act on it.

Patients will be able to put their GP practice, community or mental health services to the test by anonymously filling out a short questionnaire that asks them to rate the service and add free-text comments to explain their views or make suggestions for how things can be improved.  It is intended to capture positive comments as well as to identify areas where healthcare providers need to do better.

The Friends and Family Test is meant for all patients. Providers have been given guidance on making the Friends and Family Test accessible to people whose condition, language or literacy make it difficult to participate.

Scores will be published quarterly on the NHS Choices website and patient ratings could help people to choose which services they use.

The Friends and Family Test was launched in April 2013 and is already operating in hospital inpatient services, A & E departments and maternity services. From 1 April, it will also be available in NHS dental practices, hospital outpatient services, ambulance trusts and across patient transport.

More than four million pieces of feedback have already been received for hospital services, leading to thousands of large and small improvements to services. 

For further information about the Friends and Family Test visit www.nhs.uk/friendsandfamily. 

A short animated film has been made to explain how the Friends and Family Test works, can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWEKinEeyLs&list=PL6IQwMACXkj1NEbF89RTD6oF9nUDyZKwJ. There is also a British Sign Language version of the film, which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUhTLwTnigE&list=PL6IQwMACXkj2AWSnL4-dGtLOhMrRvC7Wv, and a version for use in mental healthcare settings, which can be viewed at http://youtu.be/SikBu8j2x20?list=PL6IQwMACXkj1NEbF89RTD6oF9nUDyZKwJ.