Friends and Family Test (FFT) data collection

Frequency: monthly  

The Friends and Family Test (FFT) is an important feedback tool that supports the fundamental principle that people who use NHS services, should have the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience.

The FFT asks people about their experience of services they have used and offers a range of responses.

When combined with supplementary follow-up questions, the FFT provides a way to highlight both good experience and opportunities for improvement. This kind of feedback will help us to improve NHS services.

It has been a requirement of providers of NHS funded inpatient and type I & II A&E services to offer FFT since 1 April 2013. It was extended to maternity services on 1 October 2013 and outpatient services on 1 April 2015. At the same time, the inpatient FFT was expanded to include day cases, children and young people and accident and emergency, including walk-in-centres/minor injury units.

Mental health providers and community healthcare providers have been required to offer patients the opportunity to give feedback using the FFT since 1 January 2015. It has been a requirement of NHS funded ambulance and patient transport services to implement the FFT since 1 April 2015.

NHS England publishes the results each month. For further information please visit the NHS England website.

For Friends and Family Test collections for A&E, inpatient, maternity and outpatients the data collection period will open on the 1st working day of each month and close on the 9th working day.

For Friends and Family Test collections for mental health, community and ambulance the data collection period will open on the 1st working day of each month and close on the 13th working day.