What this means for your practice
Keep the wording, collection method and response period visible. A change in who responds can alter a score without proving that the service itself improved or worsened.
An example to discuss with your team
Change the question wording; reports should identify the break in comparability.
What to ask before you choose
Compare fictional periods where the survey wording changed. The report should flag the difference instead of drawing an uninterrupted trend. Small response counts should remain visible too. These details help the practice choose useful follow-up questions rather than assuming the service itself changed.
Keep changes in the survey visible
Save the actual question wording and response choices alongside the report. A score about ease of booking is not the same measure as a score about the whole visit. Even a small wording change can alter how people interpret a question, so readers should know when the method changed.
Include the number of responses and the period covered. A result based on a small group should not appear to represent everyone who used the practice. Also note changes in where or how feedback was invited, such as moving from a reception card to an email. Ask the supplier to show two periods where the question or collection method differs. The chart should make that change understandable rather than presenting one uninterrupted trend. Use the result to choose a useful follow-up question or review. When managers can see the context, they are better placed to distinguish an observation worth investigating from a conclusion the available feedback does not support.
How to check the result
Track results with missing question or sampling context.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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