29.07.13
Friends and Family test results to put spotlight on poor care
The first results of the Friends and Family test will be published tomorrow, indicating which trusts need to improve the quality of their care. The Government has warned that the lowest scoring trusts could be investigated by regulators.
Detailed reports and criticisms of trusts will not be made public, but the Telegraph has reported these findings include cases of patients ignored, left unwashed and told to shout for help if they could not reach the alarm.
Surveys of patients were carried out by independent organisations, who described these findings as “shocking”.
Dr Neil Bacon, founder of patient experience monitoring organisation iWantGreatCare, said: “The friends and family test is the first time we have truly known what patients are thinking in the NHS. Not only is the appetite for patients to share their experiences immense, but each review offers an opportunity for a hospital and even specific doctors to listen, learn and improve.
“We are already seeing that detailed, written feedback collected in real time acts as a smoke detector for hospitals, allowing improvements to be made before catastrophe strikes.”
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The publication of the Friends and Family Test results will be an historic moment for the NHS – we will know what patients think about almost every ward, at every hospital, across the country.
“This simple test will throw a spotlight on both good and poor care, and sends a clear signal to every NHS organisation that patients must come first every time.”
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