Recommending a Friends and Family Test (FFT) for Children and Young People

The NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) is used across a range of services to collect feedback from adult patients and service users. Since April 2015, providers have been required to offer the FFT to children and young people. Ahead of this, Picker and Barts Health NHS Trust explored children’s views of the FFT question to recommend a version that was suitable for a younger patient population.

A focus group with young patients at the Royal London Hospital explored views of the FFT question and different ways it could be asked. This informed the development of four versions of the FFT question, with views on the wording and presentation styles sought during subsequent ward interviews. The preferred version was developed into a full survey form before being cognitively tested with a new set of patients to check for comprehension and overall format. A pilot of the data collection phase was conducted across two NHS Trust sites.

The form was updated in March 2020 to ensure alignment with the revised national guidance effective from 1st April 2020. Find out more about the form here, or email info@pickereurope.ac.uk.