Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Who we are

We are a team of people with information and advice on health issues related to your care and treatment.

What we do

• We offer advice and support on all aspects of healthcare to patients, carers and relatives.
• We will support you and direct you to appropriate services by working closely with all healthcare professionals. They may be able to resolve the matter quickly or point you in the right direction.
• We will record any comment, concern or compliment that you bring to them and ensure that these are sent on to the service or person concerned.
• If you wish to make a complaint, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) will be able to advise you and refer you to the Complaints Team if required.
• If you would like to get involved in the work we do to improve our services, please find out more by visiting our Quality Improvement (QI) website.

Patient Care Charter

Our Patient Care Charter sets out the trust’s commitment to support and train staff to deliver excellent customer care every time. It sets out what our customers should expect from us in five pledges.

1. We will support our staff to deliver excellent care every time
2. We will make every contact a positive experience
3. We will aim to understand your needs and aspire to develop our services around your expectations
4. We will strive to make the environment our services are delivered from welcoming, safe and accessible
5. We will continually measure and learn from patient experience.

The Patient Care Charter provides a clear statement of intent to which both our staff and customers can hold us. Its effectiveness will rely on the Trust motivating and supporting staff to deliver excellent customer care and will be measured through customer feedback, including patient experience surveys.

The charter provides a standard that staff can strive for. Feedback from patients and their families will allow us to measure staff achievement against our five pledges.

Please read our Patient Care Charter or, if you would like more details, contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

Measuring patient and staff satisfaction

Patient and staff feedback is important to us. Patients are surveyed using the Meridian surveys and staff are asked to complete an annual survey. Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) also collates comments and compliments from patients via phone calls, letters, emails and texts.

Patient feedback from compliments, surveys, comments and complaints is reported at each Board meeting, and these are held in public.

Other languages and formats

If you would any of our information in another language or format such as large print, Braille, audio or Easy Read, or if you require the services of an interpreter, please:

• speak to your health professional or member of staff
• email in your chosen language to kentchft.PALS@nhs.net
• write to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

Useful contacts

The Advocacy People / IHCA Service

A free and independent advocacy service that provides support and advice with any National Health Service complaint.

The Advocacy People / IHCA Service
P O Box 375
Hastings
East Sussex TN34 9HU
0330 440 9000
info@theadvocacypeople.org.uk
www.theadvocacypeople.org.uk

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an independent regulator for all health and social care services in England. It cannot investigate an individual complaint but likes to hear about patients’ experience as part of its role in monitoring services.

Finsbury Tower
102-105 Bunhill Row
London
EC1Y 8TG
03000 616161
enquiries@cqc.org.uk
www.cqc.org.uk

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS, government departments and some other public organisations. The service is free for everyone.

• Making a complaint to the Ombudsman.

this is to make a complaint online or call 0345 015 4033. Please note the helpline is currently open Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 5.00pm and Friday from 8.30am to 12pm, except bank holidays. Calls are charged at local or national rates. Alternatively, please write to them at:

Millbank Tower
21 Millbank
Westminster
London
SW1P 4QP