More than one million individual pieces of feedback have been collected through the Friends and Family Test (FFT) in just six months, NHS England has revealed.
The latest FFT figures show that between April and October 2013, a total of of 1,176,562 surveys have been completed.
The monthly response rate has increased every month since April, and in October the number of responses per month topped 200,000 for the first time.
More than one million individual pieces of feedback have been collected through the Friends and Family Test (FFT) in just six months, NHS England has revealed.
The latest FFT figures show that between April and October 2013, a total of of 1,176,562 surveys have been completed.
The monthly response rate has increased every month since April, and in October the number of responses per month topped 200,000 for the first time.
The test asks all inpatients and A&E patients to answer the question: “How likely are you to recommend our service to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?”
Results of the test, down to the level of individual wards and units, are published online every month on the NHS England and NHS Choices websites.
NHS England claims that the test will be able to trigger hospitals to take immediate action on real-time feedback, as they are asked to invite patients to give more detail on their views, and make suggestions for improvements.
Tim Kelsey, NHS England director of patients and information, said this is a “huge milestone” for the NHS.
He said: “In its earliest stages, covering just inpatients wards and A&Es, the NHS Friends and Family Test is already the biggest ever collection of patient views. It is now being rolled out to other parts of the NHS, with maternity services already taking part and GP practices due to begin next year, to give a rounded picture of how people feel about their different health services.
“Hospitals are really taking this to their hearts, and we have heard excellent examples of how the Friends and Family Test is acting as a catalyst for change, driven by patient power.”
Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt said: “We have already seen some fantastic improvements simply from hospitals listening and acting on patients’ feedback. With over a million patient comments now collected using this test, I hope we will see real patient power unleashed across the NHS. By making these ratings public we’re giving patients the power to choose the best place for their care – and driving hospitals to raise their game.”
