Friends and Family Test (FFT)

Results - overall patient experience

Your feedback is important to us.

The Friends and Family Test is a short feedback survey focused on improving patient care. All NHS hospitals and services are required to give all service users an opportunity to answer the question:

“How likely are you to recommend our ward/service/clinic to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?”

We also wish to know what your views about what we did well and what you think we could do better.

Every time you use one of our services there will always be an opportunity for you to complete a friends and family test. For example; If you have been an inpatient you will be given the opportunity to give your feedback using a patient feedback touchscreen device. If you have attended one of our emergency departments, you will be given the opportunity to give your feedback using either a short paper survey or a patient feedback touchscreen device.

For patients seen in community clinics or in their own home, staff can provide a survey and prepaid envelope at any time.

Will my feedback be confidential?

Yes. Great care has been taken to ensure that you can give honest feedback about your experience. You will be given a very simple questionnaire to complete which is anonymous and returned using the Friends and Family green posting boxes located on some wards, by main entrances and in waiting areas. Only the Patient Experience Team collect surveys from the collection boxes and process the information.

Alternatively some wards and departments have a touchscreen device that you can use to give feedback.

How is my feedback used?

We regularly monitor the percentage of patients who would recommend the services of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. This helps us to ensure we are providing a high quality service to our community.

Ward matrons/department and service managers carefully scrutinise the feedback for their individual areas of responsibility and act upon feedback where patients have suggested room for improvement. Feedback information on ‘you said, we did’ notice boards are regularly updated and displayed around the Trust.

How can I contact the Patient Experience Team

They can be contacted by telephone on 0300 13 14 500 Ext: 135860 or by emailing us.