26.11.14
GP practices getting set for FFT roll-out
The NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) roll-out across GP practices will formally start next week.
Following the success of the roll-out of FFT in secondary care, it is to be extended across NHS funded primary care services from 1 December, providing all patients and people who use GP services for example, an opportunity to give their feedback to the provider.
To celebrate this, the Strategic Projects Team and the Nursing Directorate for NHS Midlands and East region has launched the ‘Ready for a (Patient) Revolution?’ week.
Having been the first region to introduce the test in 2012, and the first to collect over one million patient responses, the Strategic Projects Team has delivered nearly 5,000 of its ‘FFT in a Box’ on behalf of the region’s Area Teams, to collect patient feedback.
This simple kit allows patients to post feedback based on the service they received, which can be acted on to understand what is working well and those areas where there is opportunity to improve. A range of text and web-based options are also being offered in conjunction with suppliers.
In the September/October edition of NHE, Dr Mo Dewji, NHS England’s national clinical lead for primary care, stated that rolling out FFT to GP practices will provide doctors with regular near real-time feedback direct from their patients, which can help them understand their areas of strength and weakness, while driving improvements to patient care.
However, Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), told us that it was essential that implementation of the FFT is as “workable” and “flexible” for GPs as possible.
Ahead of next week’s roll-out, Andrew MacPherson, managing director of the Strategic Projects Team, and a member of NHE’s editorial board, said that GP surgeries across the Midlands and East region have been supportive of the test.
“We urge both professionals and patients to embrace the opportunity for real-time insight into what is working well and those areas where there is opportunity to improve within the NHS,” he said. “The Ready for a Patient Revolution week will provide a clear reminder that data collection will commence on the 1December for GP surgeries and highlight the ability for patients to provide feedback.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]