The Friends and Family Test

What is the Friends and Family Test?

The NHS wants to make sure you have the best possible experience of care.

The Friends and Family Test is a way of getting feedback about your experience to improve mental health services.

When you receive mental health care as an inpatient or in the community, you will be offered the opportunity to give your feedback.

Your response will provide us with valuable information about your recent experience of care. Your comments will help us to identify where care is good and meets people’s expectations, and where we may need to make improvements.

How does it work?

We will ask you:

Overall, how was your experience of our service?

You will be invited to answer the question by choosing one of six options from ‘very good’ to ‘very poor’. You will then be asked to tell us the main reason for your answer. There are also four optional questions about you.

This survey is anonymous and you will not be asked for your name. Please tell us exactly what you think, whether positive or negative.

When is the FFT offered?

You are welcome to answer the Friends and Family Test question at any point in your care.

We will usually offer you the opportuninty to answer the question at certain points in your care, for example when being discharged or transferred, or when your care plan is reviewed.

How do I give my answer?

Staff will offer you different ways of giving your feedback from these options:

Paper copy of survey
Telephone call – with a member of staff who does not provide your clinical care
QR code – you may be directed to scan a QR code with your phone which will take you to the online survey

FFT QR code.PNG

Online –https://www.oc-meridian.com/AWP/survey/wardfft (Ward)

https://www.oc-meridian.com/AWP/survey/communityfft (Community)

Emails – you will be asked to complete a consent form before a member of staff sends this to you

Helping everyone take part

If needed, a friend or family member, volunteer or a member of staff not involved in your care can help you give your feedback. A carer is welcome to give their own response to the survey.

A British Sign Language video is available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihMtB89MFW8

There are easy read versions available, including a paper version for BSL users. Please ask a member of staff.

Do I have to respond to the question?

It is up to you whether you answer the question or not. If you do, your feedback will help the ward or service make sure that people using services have the best possible care.

How will the results be used?

Each month our wards and community teas review the results locally and make improvements where needed.

Where will the results be published?

Individual wards and teams regularly display their results on posters, along with examples of any actions taken.

We publish the results regularly on the AWP twitter account and yearly in our Quality Account.

All mental health trust FFT results are published nationally and are available on: http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/fft/friends-and-family-test-data/

You will be able to see results for other mental health trusts and how they compare.

Does this replace existing ways of giving feedback or making complaints?

You can still pass on your compliments or complaints to your ward or service in the usual way. If you have an urgent concern, please tell a member of staff straight away.