The Friends and Family Test (FFT) has been updated, and in the new version (in use from 1 April 2020), patients and service users, along with their carers and relatives, can answer a new simpler question.
The new question is:
Overall, how was your experience of our service?
The standard response scale is: [ ] Very good [ ] Good [ ] Neither good nor poor [ ] Poor [ ] Very poor [ ] Don’t know
The FFT is an important feedback tool that supports the fundamental principle that people who use NHS services should have the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience. Listening to the views of patients and staff helps identify what is working well, what can be improved and how.
The test currently asks people if they would recommend the services they have used and offers a range of responses. From April 2020, the question will instead invite feedback on the overall experience of using the service. This ensures that the new FFT will be able to highlight both good and poor patient experience, which is vital in transforming NHS services and supporting patient choice.
The Trust's Patient Experience team will be visiting wards and departments across the Trust to provide new feedback cards and promotional materials, and will be able to answer any questions that staff or patients might have.
This short animated film explains how people who use NHS services can give feedback using the NHS Friends and Family Test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGGgRtehV2o&feature=youtu.be