The NHS has begun rolling out its 2026 Children and Young People's Patient Experience Survey, inviting families to report on hospital stays that occurred this spring.
Children and young people up to the age of 15 who were admitted during March, April or May will receive invitations, alongside their parents or carers. They are asked to assess the quality of care and treatment received. The exercise, coordinated on behalf of the Care Quality Commission by the Survey Coordination Centre at Picker, promises confidential and anonymised responses that will not influence any future treatment.
Kettering General Hospital is among the trusts actively promoting participation. Similar messages have gone out from other NHS bodies, including Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The results, expected in spring 2027, will highlight strengths and expose gaps so that hospitals can adjust their practices accordingly.
Learning from families rather than top-down targets
This approach stands in contrast to the familiar layering of new protocols and directives that often characterise NHS reform. Instead of assuming central planners know best, the survey places weight on the direct testimony of those who have passed through the system's doors. Feedback will feed into concrete changes at trust level, an acknowledgment that efficiency and responsiveness improve when patient and family perspectives drive priorities.
Tritania Chasiya, Head of Nursing for Family Health at University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, said:
We are always looking to provide the best care possible for our patients. Surveys like this help us to learn what we do well and the areas that we could improve to make our services better for those who need them. I would ask that anyone who receives the invitation or would like to take part please takes the opportunity to do so and provide this valuable feedback to us.
Her appeal underscores a simple reality. When hospitals listen to children and those who care for them, the resulting adjustments tend to respect the dignity of the person in ways bureaucratic reorganisations rarely achieve. Previous iterations of the survey have shown generally positive ratings for basic attentiveness yet flagged persistent shortfalls in facilities, schooling access during admission and the clarity of information given to families.
