Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

We are a department that can help you with many things.

Our services are confidential and we aim to make a difference to your experience of our services.

What is PALS?

PALS is the Patient Advice and Liaison Service. We are a non-clinical team that you can contact, if you need help or advice, whether you are:

• a patient
• a relative of a patient
• a carer of a patient
• a friend of a patient

You can find us in Colchester and Ipswich hospitals.

We are independent and confidential. We will not speak about a patient to anyone without permission.

If you still need support after speaking to our ward or clinical staff, we will help you resolve your query, quickly and easily.

We will work discuss your query with the relevant departments. They must then respond to you and answer your questions or concerns in full.

What does PALS offer?

• advice for you and your family.
• PALS will listen to your concerns, feedback and queries.
• PALS can help sort out queries quickly on your behalf, by arranging for the appropriate staff to contact you.
• advice on how to make a formal complaint.
• help from independent advocacy services if you need to make a serious complaint. They are not part of ESNEFT, and they will listen to you, support you, and keep what you say private. Their help is free, and they make sure you are listened to.
• signposting to relevant local support and / or voluntary groups that can give advice.
• we will listen to you and share your views with our Patient Experience team, so we can improve our patient care.
• take details of any praise or compliments you may have for a colleague or team who looked after you.

What are PALS unable to help with?

• PALS cannot give medical advice or information
• PALS are unable to discuss a medical diagnosis
• PALS cannot influence or bring forward treatment or appointments
• PALS are unable to alter decisions about your care, treatment or discharge plans
• PALS cannot offer a counselling service
• PALS cannot provide copies of a patient’s medical records (but can tell you who you would need to speak to about this)
• PALS cannot help with queries about people such as your GP, pharmacist or optician, or mental health services. They can signpost you to the right PALS team who can help.

Contact PALS

We are open between 8am and 4pm, Mondays to Fridays, but do not work Bank Holidays. We are available on the telephone between 10am and 2pm.

When we are not open you can leave a voicemail message or send an email. We will get back to you as soon as possible during the next working day.

You will still receive the same care if you raise a query or concern. If you tell us something, we will use that information to improve our patient care, as well as looking at what we do well.

Telephone PALS

Contact the Colchester Hospital PALS team:

• call us using our Freephone number 0800 783 7328
• call us on 01206 742683 (extension 2683)

If your call is urgent and you need help outside our office hours, please dial 01206 747 474 and ask to speak to the site matron.

Colchester PALS Office Accessibility information from AccessAble (Opens in a new window)

Contact the Ipswich Hospital PALS team:

• call us using our Freephone number 0800 328 7624
• call us on 01473 704 781 (extension 6781)

If your call is urgent and you need help outside our office hours, please dial 01473 712 233 and ask to speak to the site matron.

Write to PALS

Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Colchester Hospital
Turner Road
Colchester
Essex
CO4 5JL

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (S617)
Ipswich Hospital
Heath Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 5PD

Ipswich PALS Office Accessibility information from AccessAble (Opens in a new window)

Email PALS

Contact the PALS team via email

Please tell us if your email is about Colchester Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, or a community hospital in the subject section of your email.

In the email, please include:

• your full name.
• your telephone number.
• the patient’s full name and date of birth, as well as hospital number or NHS number if known.

Get involved – Make a difference!

Do you have a passion for improving healthcare? Would you like to be a Patient and Carer Experience Ambassador at your local hospital?

Support our Patient Experience Team by engaging in specific roles within the Trust.

You could get involved in project working, engagement events and meetings.

You could become a member of a patient and carer user group, help with surveys and admin support.

You could talk to patients to hear their experiences, to name but a few.

Find out more about opportunities to get involved (Opens in a new window)

Making a complaint at ESNEFT – ESNEFT Document library (esneftdoclibrary.org.uk)