The first results of the Friends and Family test, which asks if patients would recommend services, have been released today.
The survey covers around 4,500 NHS wards and 144 A&E services.
According the NHS England, the service will give “real time feedback” on services, increasing transparency and driving up choice.
More than 400,000 NHS patients completed the survey in the first three months, with data available down to ward level.
The first results of the Friends and Family test, which asks if patients would recommend services, have been released today.
The survey covers around 4,500 NHS wards and 144 A&E services.
According the NHS England, the service will give “real time feedback” on services, increasing transparency and driving up choice.
More than 400,000 NHS patients completed the survey in the first three months, with data available down to ward level.
The Care Quality Commission will use the data as part of a new surveillance system when assessing risks at hospitals, together with mortality rates.
'More robust'
Tim Kelsey, NHS England’s national director for patients and information, said: “Friends and Family Test is a major step forward for patients and for the quality of their care. Direct patient and citizen feedback is vital to improving the services the NHS provides. Trusts can concentrate their focus on improvement with this information.
“From this first publication, we can see a significant and real variation in the quality of customer service across the NHS. There are home truths here and everyone will expect those Trusts who have large numbers of their patients choosing not to recommend their services to respond as quickly as possible.”
However, Kelsey did add that the current low response rates could have a “disproportionate impact” on the scores. Increasing response rates will make the data more robust, he claims.
Overall, 13% of organisations responded to the Friends and Family test surveys in April, May and June 2013.
Over the three months, a total of 404,657 patients responded to the survey.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Today marks an historic moment in the NHS. This simple survey will give us the information we need to celebrate the best in our NHS and root out poor care.
“By making these ratings public we’re giving patients the power to choose the best place for their care – and driving other hospitals to raise their game.”
