Use the current FFT question and guidance
NHS England describes the Friends and Family Test as a way for people using NHS services to give feedback on their overall experience. The current national guidance should determine how a provider implements and reports the FFT.
Keep response counts, collection methods, service scope and reporting periods clear. A change in collection can change who responds. The proportion giving a positive answer, the response rate and the number of comments mentioning a theme are different measures. See the NHS sources below for the authoritative requirements.
Analyse comments around the patient journey
| Theme | What comments may describe | Appropriate follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Booking and appointment availability | Review access routes and demand/capacity information |
| Waiting | Time before or during an appointment | Check relevant operational measures |
| Communication | Clarity, expectations and follow-up information | Review patient-facing messages and handovers |
| Respect and support | Feeling listened to and treated considerately | Discuss recurring experience themes through appropriate governance |
| Environment | Wayfinding, comfort and accessibility | Check the physical journey and existing audits |
These are experience categories, not clinical assessments. A comment about an outcome or safety concern must follow the provider’s established clinical, complaints or safeguarding route.
Protect patient confidentiality
Agree the purpose, data fields, access, transfer arrangements and retention before sharing feedback with an external supplier. Minimise identifiable information and consider whether free-text details can identify a patient or staff member even after names are removed.
Publish aggregate learning without disclosing individual care details. Responding publicly to a review should not confirm an individual’s treatment or expose private information. The provider’s information-governance and professional requirements remain central to the work. No general statement on this page establishes compliance for a particular implementation.
Close the feedback loop
A useful feedback meeting asks what the concern is, what evidence supports it, who will investigate and how the service will communicate what changed. Retain positive themes too: patients may value behaviours that are worth protecting during a redesign.
The medical-centre engagement describes patient-experience work involving FFT feedback. Its published outcomes are specific to that engagement, not targets guaranteed for other practices.
Agree a suitable bespoke analysis
ReviewsBlender’s service material includes bespoke work with confidential healthcare feedback. Establish suitability and handling requirements before any patient information is transferred. An initial discussion can use anonymised examples and a description of the decision the provider needs to make.
The analysis can support service-improvement priorities. It does not replace national submission requirements, clinical review or a formal complaints process.
Use contact@reviewsblender.com to discuss scope without including patient-identifiable details in the initial enquiry.
Frequently asked questions
Does analysing FFT comments replace NHS reporting?
No. Providers should follow current NHS England implementation and submission guidance. Thematic analysis adds context for improvement work.
Can FFT results be compared directly between practices?
Check differences in collection, services, periods and respondent mix first. A simple comparison of percentages can obscure those differences.
Sources and further reading
- NHS England: Friends and Family Test
- NHS England: implementing FFT
- NHS England: submitting FFT data
- ICO: data protection and monitoring workers
External product and policy information checked on 1 November 2026. Product descriptions are vendor documentation; recommendations and interpretations are ReviewsBlender’s. Linked policies take precedence if they change.
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