A NATIONAL campaign has been launched to promote the NHS’ friends and family test.

The test is intended to be a way to find out from patients, quickly and anonymously, how they rate their latest experience of care or treatment from the NHS.

They can provide comments to explain their score and this feedback helps services to focus on areas that need improvement.

As most feedback is positive, the test also provides a “well-deserved pat on the back for hard-working NHS staff”.

The test has been welcomed by the three GPs who lead the clinical commissioning groups which buy most health services for more than 600,000 people in Portsmouth and much of East Hampshire, including in Whitehill and Bordon.

Dr Barbara Rushton, of the South Eastern Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which covers Whitehill and Bordon, said: “The test has been rolled out across many NHS services.

“We are keen to spread the word that, at any time you use NHS healthcare, you can give fast, anonymous feedback that could help improve services.

“The test asks a simple question to find out whether, based on your experience, you rate the service highly enough to say you would recommend it to the people you care about, which is seen as the acid test for most people of whether something is good enough.”

Dr David Chilvers, from the Fareham and Gosport Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “We are told that nationally nearly 17million pieces of patient feedback have been given in the past three years, so it’s really important for the NHS to stand back and evaluate how those comments are helping to improve care for NHS patients.

“But one big benefit is that NHS staff learn that they are, in the main, doing a great job.

“More than 90 per cent of people who complete the test give a positive response and that is really good for the NHS and for morale.”

* You can ask to complete the Friends and Family Test at NHS hospitals and at GP and dental practices.