The new NHS Family and Friends Test, a one question survey of patient’s visitors, is deemed not fit for purpose, according to Peter Lynn, Professor of Survey Methodology at ISER. Writing in The Guardian today Professor Lynn argues that the survey will not give a fair view of NHS performance and could skew the ranking of hospitals across the country.
Professor Lynn writes :
“In the wake of the Stafford hospital scandal and widespread concern about the treatment received by hospital patients, there is no doubt that new initiatives to improve care will be welcomed. Surveys can be powerful tools to quantify what goes wrong, how often, for whom and in what circumstances. Such information can be invaluable in helping to target resources and improve performance. But will the new friends and family test have the desired effect?
The survey has just one question. But if an A&E patient would not recommend this hospital, what would he or she recommend instead? To travel 50 miles to the next hospital? To avoid medical assistance completely? To wait until their GP has an appointment?
The question is hypothetical. It assumes a choice, but does not state the alternative which the patient is supposed to use as a means of comparison.
And it is unclear what patients are supposed to be assessing. Is it the standard of care by nurses? The standard of treatment? Comfort? Cleanliness? Food? It will be interpreted in vastly different ways.
The variation in how patients react to the question could distort comparisons between hospitals or wards."