Friends and family recommendations

In January 2026, 100% of inpatients said they were extremely likely or likely to recommend QVH to their friends and family.

Some of the patient feedback we received during the month included:

Burns unit: “All have been extremely kind, caring and friendly. Helped my pain as much as possible. Been a please to meet everyone.”

Critical care unit: “Absolutely exemplary. I do not believe the situation could have been made better by any other team. Incredibly grateful to all of them. They have made a complete fear of hospitals into a strong wish to avoid but would not hesitate if needed.”

Corneo department: “Fantastic customer service from all reception staff, nurses and doctors. 20 out of 10.”

Margaret Duncombe ward: “Fantastic team. Wonderful bedside manner. Every person showed great professionalism and care. Very pleased I got sent here for my emergency treatment. Patient safety clearly a priority. A well-run ward. You are all stars!”

Maxillofacial department: “I was hard-pushed to select which reason I gave because I was very impressed with everything. Care, competence, administration, the whole thing. I was very impressed. Well done, keep it up. Thank you very much.”

Minor Injuries Unit: “Fantastic attention and attitude towards me. Thank you. There was no improvement necessary to the treatment given. All the staff were very helpful and even arranged a taxi for us.”

Peanut (childrens’) ward: “I loved the chat with the doctor. She answered all my questions. I felt safe and reassured.”

Plastics department: “Nobody really likes to visit hospitals, but East Grinstead is probably the best hospital for care, compassion and knowledge that I have ever experienced with family, friends and myself. Great work.”

Ross Tilley ward: “Everyone was so caring and understanding. I have been really struggling with my mental health, which impacts my ability to handle stress and socialise but everyone made this stay as comfortable and wonderful as possible. Very professional and non-judgemental. I am very grateful.”

Sleep disorder centre: “You truly have a star at Sleep. Kamila, thank you for your kindness and your warm, genuine smile. I will try not to give up and learn to love myself again.”

You can read more of what patients say about us on our NHS Choices page and on the Care Opinion website.

About the friends and family test

All NHS hospitals publish their ‘friends and family test’ scores each month. It is a simple measure to help the NHS understand how well it is caring for patients and to enable patients to compare the performance of different hospitals and wards.

How are the scores used?

The scores are also collected and published nationally on the NHS Choices website to help patients compare hospitals.

At QVH we like to know what our patients and visitors think of their experience so that we can continue improving. There are a variety of ways we get feedback from patients. See how to feed back for more details.

Because the scores are collected and published monthly they provide up-to-date information on the performance of each ward. We also use patient feedback and data from a wide variety of other sources, including national and local surveys, to help us monitor and improve patient care. These include the national inpatient survey and the national cancer patient survey.

We publish an annual patient experience report which reviews the feedback we have received and sets out progress with our rolling plan of action to improve patient experience.

Actions taken as a result of feedback we have received include:

• Increasing the size of disabled parking bays
• Installing new parking meters which allow an hourly charge, rather than the previous three-hour minimum
• Introduction of media screens in outpatient departments to provide better information about waiting times in the clinics
• Installing self-check in kiosks in outpatients. These make checking-in quicker and more convenient for patients, enhancing confidentiality and free up receptionists to assist patients and respond to queries.

Image by rawpixel.com

Page last updated: 3 February 2026.