Complaints and Patient Advice Liaison - Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS)

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) is committed to providing the best quality of care in a friendly, pleasant and professional environment.

We welcome your suggestions as to how we can improve services and provide care which better reflects your needs.

We would like to hear from you if you think we have done something well, or if you have suggestions on how we could do something differently. Equally we want to know if you are unhappy with the service provided.

What is PALS?

The Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) is a free and confidential service for patients, their families, carers and friends. We are here to respond to concerns about any aspects of your care or Trust services with the aim to resolve any problems as quickly and easily as possible.

We welcome your opinions on the service we provide

Every comment or compliment is seen as an opportunity to review the service, so that we can make sure we are offering what you need. Whether you are unhappy, upset or frustrated, we want to understand and help where we can.

Please be assured that your care will not be affected because you are voicing your concerns. After all, we can only improve our services if we know about the things that are not working as well as they should.

Getting help

You have several options, but first of all we would ask that you speak to the Ward Manager/ Matron or Manager in the department involved. Many problems can be resolved by talking things over; misunderstandings can easily happen and sometimes just as easily be put right.

If you have tried this and are not satisfied, ask to speak with the Lead Nurse, Assistant Director of Nursing or Service Manager at the time, if possible. Should an interpreter be required at any time, please make a staff member aware or contact the Interpreting/Translation Service, contact details are provided within this leaflet.

You have more options

If you do not want to discuss your feelings or your concerns with the staff or their manager, or you have tried this and are unhappy with the response you received, you can:

Ask to speak to a PALS Officer (contact details for PALS are provided in this leaflet). The PALS Officer is available to assist with concerns and will liaise with staff on your behalf.

Sometimes it may not be possible to speak to the PALS Officer immediately, so you may prefer to email or telephone. When the phone line is busy or you are calling out of hours, you can leave a message. Please provide your contact details and a brief overview of your concern. We will call you back by the end of the next working day.

Contacting PALS

We have PALS Officers based on site Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays) who are available to assist with your concerns and liaise with staff on your behalf.

If, for any reason, a PALS Officer is unavailable to speak with you immediately, you can contact our PALS Admin Team via email or telephone who will pass your concern to the next available PALS Officer.

When the phone line is busy or you are calling out of hours, you can leave a message. Please provide your contact details and a brief
overview of your concern. We will call you back by the end of the next working day.

Telephone: 0161 778 5665
Email: pals@nca.nhs.uk
BSL only text reply: 07812 775 905
Alternatively, you can write to: PALS Department, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Unit 7/8 Whitney Court, Southlink Business Park, Hamilton Street, Oldham OL4 1DB

If you decide to make a complaint

If you do not think PALS is right for your situation, or you are not satisfied with the outcome following the discussions with either the PALS Officer, Service Management Teams or Ward Staff, you can contact the Complaints Service to make a formal complaint.

The NHS complaints procedure exists to investigate formal complaints. You should contact the Complaints Service to log your concerns within twelve months of the incident, or when it came to your notice.

The Complaints Department for Fairfield General Hospital, Salford Royal Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and The Royal Oldham Hospital can be contacted via:
Telephone: 0161 656 1141
Email: office.complaints@nca.nhs.uk
BSL only text reply: 07812 775 905

In writing:
Complaints Department, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Unit 7/8, Whitney Court Southlink Business Park, Hamilton Street, Oldham, OL4 1DB

Anyone can make a complaint about NHS services or treatment they have received. If you are making a complaint on the behalf of someone else, written consent may be required.

Help making a complaint

There are several independent complaint advocacy services that provide free and independent advice and help with making an NHS complaint. For details of a service within your local area, please contact PALS.

Compliments

Should you wish to tell us of something which you and your family were pleased with, or you were impressed with a service or member of staff, please contact PALS. Your compliment will be noted, and the service or individual will be informed of your feedback.