New Friends and Family Test provider to make it easier for patients to share feedback

From 1 September 2026, we are introducing a new provider for our Friends and Family Test (FFT), making it even easier for patients at Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) to tell us about their experience of care.

The Friends and Family Test is one of the NHS’s most important feedback tools, helping patients, families and carers share what went well during their care and where we can improve. The new provider will help us continue to collect and learn from patient feedback, ensuring we can keep improving the care and experience we provide.

Easier ways to share your experience
Patients who are invited to complete the Friends and Family Test by text message will now receive a single SMS containing a secure link to an online survey.

The updated process is designed to be quick, simple and convenient, allowing patients to provide feedback at a time that suits them.

Feedback options remain available
We know that people have different preferences when it comes to sharing feedback. Alongside the new text message survey, patients will continue to have access to a range of ways to tell us about their experience.

These include:

• Automated telephone surveys where appropriate
• QR codes displayed across the hospital
• Paper feedback postcards for patients who prefer a non-digital option.

Listening to patients and improving care
Every piece of feedback we receive helps us understand what matters most to our patients and where we can improve.

The Friends and Family Test gives patients, families and carers an important opportunity to tell us about their experience of care. Whether feedback highlights something we have done well or identifies an area where we can do better, it helps us shape and improve our services.

The new provider will support us to gather, review and learn from feedback more effectively, helping ensure that patient voices remain at the heart of everything we do.