The NHS Friends and Family Test

How are we doing?

February 2023

  • 84% would recommend mental health services
  • 95% would recommend community services

To view our results in further detail visit the NHS England website

What is the Friends and Family Test?

As a Trust we want to ensure that you receive the best possible experience. The Friends and Family Test (FFT) is a way for the Trust to gather feedback from service users, friends, family and carers about their experience of Trust services. The Friends and Family Test enables service users and their families to be heard and help improve their services.

During your contact with the Trust you will be offered the opportunity to give your feedback with regards to your experience.

You will be asked:

Thinking about the service we provide. Overall, how was your experience of our service?

We would like to know – what was really good and what could we do better?

Download the Friends and Family Test leaflet or you can find the easy read leaflet here.

Why should you give us feedback?

Your feedback will give us invaluable information on what you, our service users, their friends, family and carers think of our services, which can then be used help us make changes where required. Used alongside other sources of patient feedback the Friends and Family Test enables the Trust to highlight issues across services that require improvement, as well as identify areas to celebrate and build on what is working well.

How do we collect feedback?

There are several ways that the Trust collects patient feedback. These include:

  • Paper – Friends and Family Test cards and feedback boxes are available across all services within the Trust and are readily available in the receptions in all our buildings along with a feedback box for returning them. Please ask a member of staff if you are unable to locate a paper copy of the Friends and Family Text card.
  • Text messaging– If you use the Trusts community mental health, CAMHS, Learning Disability or ADHD services you may receive a text message requesting Friends and Family Test feedback. Further information cane be found here: Text message feedback – South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • Electronic surveys – We also use devices such as electronic tablets, referred to as CHATpads across the Trust. Usually, the Friends and Family Test question will be included in a longer survey so that we can collect your views on other areas. This may include activities, feeling safe or being treated with dignity and respect.
  • Electronic links – There are Friends and Family Test link available on the Trust website where you can submit Friends and Family Test feedback, here: Friends and Family Test Links – South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Those services that see service users virtually may also have a link that they can drop into the chat function for you to complete on applications such as MS Team and zoom, or on their phone.

All feedback is anonymous regardless of the method that is used to capture it. If you have any questions or require the Friends and Family Test in another method, please speak to a member of staff or email friendsandfamily.test@swyt.nhs.uk

What do we do with feedback?

Your comments are reviewed by services to identify areas that require improvement or areas of good practice that can be shared across the Trust. Where real time feedback is available via electronic tablets or iPads comments are reviewed weekly by staff and where necessary the appropriate action is taken. Services will display ‘You said, We did’ posters to tell you what has been done as a result of your feedback.

The Friends and Family Test is reviewed alongside other forms of feedback to identify Trust wide trends and themes in order to identify larger quality improvement projects. Our Friends and Family Test results are shared across the Trust from frontline staff to our Board for them to review the feedback and action taken as a result.

In addition, the results will appear on NHS Choices , Care Opinion and the NHS England and NHS Improvement websites.

How else can you provide feedback?

If you wish to speak to someone regarding the care and treatment that you or someone else received from the Trust please speak to a member of staff or contact Customer Services on 0800 587 2108. Further information regarding Customer Services and how they can help you can be found here.

Involving the local community with our Trust is a big priority for us. You could become a member, volunteer with us or get involved with our charity. Further information on how you can become involved with the Trust can be found here.

More information

These short films explain Friends and Family Test.

You can find out more about the Friends and Family test by visiting the NHS England and NHS Improvement website.

For more opportunities to get involved and have your say please visit our Get involved page.

Got a question?

If you have a question about the Trust’s Friends and Family Test information, contact the quality improvement and assurance team – 01924 316177 or friendsandfamily.test@swyt.nhs.uk.

Page last updated on: