The NHS Friends and Family Test
We want to make sure that you have the best possible experience of care with us. So it’s extremely important that you let us know how well we're performing. The NHS Friends and Family Test is an easy-to-understand question that we are asking our patients.
Why is the NHS Friends and Family Test important?
The NHS Friends and Family Test is just one of the ways we gather your feedback, but it’s an extremely important one as it helps us make any improvements to our services.
How does it work?
There are different methods available to be able to answer the NHS Friends and Family Test. A 'Learning with Patients' questionnaire will be provided within 48 hours of discharge. This will contain The NHS Friends and Family Test for you to answer:
You will be able to select from one of the following responses:
A Friends and Family exit card may be provided.
A new method which has been introduced is the text service or an automated phone call from Health Care Communications. Your response is free and really appreciated.
If you don't wish to take part, please click on this link for more information.
For more information on Health Care Communications please see the Frequently asked questions below.
We would value any additional comments that would help us to understand why you have chosen your particular answer.
How often can you respond to The NHS Friends and Family Test?
You can do it just once, or each time you use our service.
How will the results be used?
Your feedback will help us learn more about what you think about our service – what we did well and what you think we could improve.
Listening and learning from our patients is extremely important to us as we are committed in providing you with the best possible care and experience. If you have any questions about The NHS Friends and Family Test, please ask a member of our staff.
Friends and Family Test
To measure patient experience we use a Recommend Rate and Not Recommend Rate. The idea is simple: if you like using a certain product or doing business with a particular company you like to share this experience with others. From the answers given 3 groups of people can be distinguished: Detractors - people who would probably not recommend you based on their experience. Passive - people who couldn't really say one way or another. Promoters - people who have had an experience which they would definitely recommend to others.
The Friends and Family Test requires all patients, after discharge, to be given the opportunity to answer: How likely are you to recommend our ward to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?
Results are reported as a recommend rate and a not recommend rate. In March 2017 our scores were:
|
Inpatients |
|
|
Recommend Rate |
100 |
|
NOT Recommend Rate |
0 |
|
Emergency Department |
|
|
Recommend Rate |
88 |
|
NOT Recommend Rate |
7 |
Seeking the views of our patients and their relatives/ carers and friends is important to us and we use a variety of methods to do this. Patients are issued an experience questionnaire on discharge entitled “Learning with Patients” detailed below are just some of the latest results:
|
October - December 2016 |
||
|
Question |
Amount of patients responded |
% |
|
I was treated with courtesy and respect by: |
||
|
Doctors (Monday - Friday) |
485 |
98 |
|
Doctors (Weekend) |
175 |
94 |
|
Nurses (Monday - Friday) |
506 |
97 |
|
Nurses (Weekend) |
218 |
97 |
|
Allied Health Professionals (Monday - Friday) |
193 | 96 |
|
Allied Health Professionals (Weekend) |
96 | 91 |
|
I was provided with information that helped me understand my care by: |
||
|
Doctors (Monday - Friday) |
439 |
93 |
|
Doctors (Weekend) |
148 |
85 |
|
Nurses (Monday - Friday) |
486 |
96 |
|
Nurses (Weekend) |
198 |
94 |
|
Allied Health Professionals (Monday - Friday) |
170 |
95 |
|
Allied Health Professionals (Weekend) |
85 |
91 |
|
I had confidence in the: |
||
|
Doctors (Monday - Friday) |
474 |
96 |
|
Doctors (Weekend) |
171 |
94 |
|
Nurses (Monday - Friday) |
497 |
98 |
|
Nurses (Weekend) |
205 |
95 |
|
Allied Health Professionals (Monday - Friday) |
183 |
96 |
|
Allied Health Professionals (Weekend) |
95 |
94 |
FAQs: Health Care Communications
1. Who are HealthCare Communications?
Healthcare Communications (HCC) are the external company approved by Wirral University Teaching Hospital to provide a reminder service to patients regarding their planned outpatient appointments to reduce the number of appointments being missed.
2. What is the National Friends and Family Test?
NHS England set out guidance that anyone who uses a NHS service should have the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience. Service users will be asked to answer the following question: “How likely are you to recommend our service to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?” Service users can respond by choosing one of the following options; Extremely likely, Likely, Neither likely or unlikely, Extremely unlikely or Don’t know.
To see the results of the Friends and Family Test please visit click here or for further information please visit NHS England’s website
3. Why am I being contacted?
Healthcare Communications administrate the National Friends and Family Test Text and Voice Message Service for WUTH. Once you have attended your appointment HCC will contact you and ask for your feedback. If you are a frequent attender you will only be asked once within a 30 day period.
4. How will HCC contact me?
HCC may contact you via mobile phone or via home telephone landline.
5. I missed the telephone call, will I be called back?
You will be contacted again by HCC until you have been able to provide a response or until you have opted out.
6. How do I opt out of being contacted?
To opt out of receiving text message please reply “STOP”. To opt out of receiving home telephone calls please answer the phone and say “STOP”.
7. I think I am receiving cold calls
To activate the telephone call from HCC please say hello, this is because HCC need to
hear your voice in order for the automated survey to start, this is to ensure that you do not
miss any vital information.
8. When asked why have you chosen that response (how likely you are to
recommend the service to your friends and family) why can I only choose one
option?
Currently feedback from the voicemail service and the text response only allows patients to
indicate one reason as to why they have chosen that response. However we are looking at
changing this in the future to allow for multiple options to be chosen.
9. Are my contact details passed on to other companies?
No, under the Data Protection Act 1988 WUTH and HCC are not allowed to pass on your
contact information to anyone else.
10. Can I use this method of feedback to direct concerns about my care?
You can use this method to leave comments as to why you have chosen to recommend or
not recommend our services. However if you require specific feedback regarding concerns
about your care please contact our Patient Relations Team on 0800 432 0251.