FEEDBACK from stroke patients in Worcestershire is to be used to improve services in the county.

Worcestershire’s three Clinical Commissioning Groups have secured a bid from NHS England to develop a local pilot of the national Friends and Family Test.

The 12-week pilot – called the Stroke Pathway Friends and Family Test – will work in partnership with NHS organisations such as the Stroke Association to collate feedback from patients about the care they received throughout all stages of their treatment.

NHS South Worcestershire’s director of quality and executive lead nurse Mari Gay said she was delighted the test was being piloted in the county.

“The views of patients are critical in gaining a comprehensive understanding of their journey and specific support needs for the development of our stroke services,” she said.

“The Friends and Family Test is a national patient experience initiative which looks at specific areas which looks at specific wards.

“We’re taking that further with this pilot programme and looking at the whole patient pathway to capture their experience across their healthcare journey.

“We look forward to working with our partner organisations and dedicated volunteers to improve the lives of stroke patients in Worcestershire.”

The test is different from the NHS England Friends and Family Test which asks only if patients would recommend the service to others who need similar treatment.

The Stroke Association's deputy head of operations for Worcestershire Bernice Jones said: “We’re very glad to see stroke survivor and family views being collected to initiate positive changes to initial and longer term stroke care in Worcestershire.

"We are pleased to have been involved in this project and that people affected by stroke have been given an opportunity to influence care providers and improve their life after stroke.”

Specially-trained volunteers will work alongside staff to help people completing the survey and results will be shared across healthcare organisations in Worcestershire.