Friends and family recommendations

In July 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: “Reassuring, professional and exceptionally kind and caring. Very comfortable and nothing too much trouble to anyone. I didn’t think there could be better healthcare anywhere. Struggled to find appropriate diabetic options on the menu.”

Critical care unit: “My experience has been second to none. All the staff are amazing, caring and kind. Other hospitals could learn a lot from the way things are done here.”

Corneo department: “Very good with excellent care in explaining to me and my carer the continuing treatment for my eye.”

Margaret Duncombe ward: “QVH is outstanding, professional and absolutely first class. Everyone here has been wonderful from every single perspective from consultation, through to prep and right the way through to surgery and I’m absolutely delighted with everything across the board. I’ve had so many wonderful dealings with everyone and I feel reassured, well cared for and very happy.”

Maxillofacial department: “Your hospital is full of dedicated professionals, from the surgeons to the stars who serve the cakes and the engineers who tend the workings of a hospital. Thank you.”

Minor Injuries Unit: “I received the best care I could have asked for. I have always found this whenever I have brought a family member in as well. Tom who saw me was brilliant – he treated me with care and respect. I then had a seizure on the way out and 10 staff members came over to assist. We are very lucky to have such a great local hospital.”

Peanut (childrens’) ward: “Staff have been amazing with our daughter and with us as her parents. Communication has been fantastic all the way through. Thank you to all the amazing staff and surgical team.”

Plastics department: “The whole experience was very good from start to finish. All the nurses and doctors were brilliant.”

Ross Tilley ward: “It seems strange that an experience in hospital was very good. However, the nurses, doctors and everyone are a credit to the system and lovely in every way. Thank you so much for your care and everything you do. All that work here appear to be happy and that filters down.”

Sleep disorder centre: “Sharon gave me exceptional care. From the moment I arrived, she was professional and attentive and very patient. Sharon’s kindness truly put me at ease during my overnight stay.”

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: 20 August 2026