Patient Advice and Liaison Service
The Trust encourages patients, carers, and relatives to share their experiences and feedback.
Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) provides a point of contact for patients, carers, and their family and friends, who may have a concern and wish to raise it with a department outside of where they are receiving care.
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service team are knowledgeable and experienced in handling patients' concerns and have overall responsibility for ensuring responses are coordinated effectively and efficiently.
What can our PALS team do?
- Talk to senior staff on your behalf to try to resolve any concerns of issues
- Tell you about the services the Trust provides and more generally about the NHS
- Provide information and signpost you to other support organisations
- Listen to yur suggestions and comments and take action to improve our services
- Hear about your positive experience and share compliments with those involved
- Tell you about the formal complaints process
When should you use PALS?
If you have a concern about yourself, or about a relative or friend in our care, we recommend that you raise your concerns first of all with the people who are providing the care. They will usually be best placed to help you, and to put things right as soon as possible when they go wrong. If you want help with doing this, PALS can help you.
A member of the PALS team will listen and discuss with you the most appropriate way to take your concerns forward and can also give advice on independent advocacy services and the formal complaints process.
Can my appointment be brought forward?
Appointments are made in accordance with clinical need. If your condition has significantly changed since you were referred to the hospital (if you are awaiting your first appointment) or since you were last seen in clinic, you should contact your GP who can reassess the clinical urgency and let our specialists know. Any queries relating to appointments should be directed to the appropriate clinical administration unit – their contact details will be on your appointment letter. Unfortunately, PALS do not have the facility to make appointments or change appointment dates.
Can my admission date be brought forward?
Planned or elective admissions are arranged in accordance with clinical need. If your condition has significantly changed since you were placed on the waiting list or since you were last seen in clinic, you should contact your GP who can reassess the clinical urgency and let our specialists know. Any queries relating to admission dates should be directed to the appropriate clinical administration unit – their contact details will be on your admission letter. Unfortunately, PALS do not have the facility to arrange or change admission dates.
My last admission to hospital was cancelled. Can you guarantee it won’t happen again?
Unfortunately, we can never offer such a guarantee, due to the unpredictable nature of the hospital environment. Both our hospitals have busy emergency departments which mean we cannot always be certain about the number of patients who may need to be admitted as an emergency. We monitor our bed situation extremely closely and will do all we can to honour admission arrangements. However, patient safety is our priority and we will not compromise this.
Can PALS arrange my hospital transport?
Unfortunately, this is something that PALS are unable to assist with. This is something that patients have to arrange directly, or you can speak with your GP. This is not dealt with through the Trust,.