Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and Complaints
We know that it can be a worrying and confusing time when you or someone you know is unwell. If you have concerns about any aspect of your care, or the service you receive, it is best to first speak with a member of staff involved with your care.
If you find that staff cannot help you, or you are not comfortable speaking with them, you can contact PALS.
PALS is a confidential service designed to support patients, relatives and carers. You can ask a friend or relative to contact us on your behalf but we must have your permission before we can discuss your personal circumstances with anyone else.
How to contact PALS and complaints
We will aim to acknowledge your contact within 5 working days.We are a small team, often helping people on the phone, ward or in meetings, so please do not hesitate to leave us a message on our answerphone or send us an email.
If contacting us it would be useful to have the full name, date of birth or hospital number of either yourself or the person you are contacting us about.
If leaving a message on our answerphone please speak clearly and calmly, not forgetting to leave your contact telephone number.
The PALS and Complaints Manager
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Colney Lane
Norwich
NR4 7UY
01603 289036
PALS aims to be an accessible service. Please let us know your needs and we will do our very best to meet them.
What to expect when you contact PALS
When you contact PALS we will respond to your communication to let you now we have received it. We will then work with you to help resolve your enquiry or concern.
We may need to contact you for further information or to gain consent from the affected person to be able to discuss matters with you.
We are able to speak with you at our door behind our screen for infection control safety, however due to the sensitive nature of matters raised we will book an appointment with you to discuss anything further on the phone or by live video chat.
If you are an inpatient, we encourage you to phone us in the first instance, we can only arrange a ward visit with the permission of Ward Manager, Matron or Senior Nurse.
How we feel about PALS and your feedback
- We love to help people and their families; we like to support resolving concerns.
- We love to work at the Hospital, supporting people with some of their most challenging times in life.
- We are grateful to receive your thanks when we support you.
- Please send us any compliments by contacting us, it helps to boost morale – email palsandcomplaints@nnuh.nhs.uk
Frequently asked questions
In PALS we are frequently asked about accessing Health Records; please contact the department directly on 01603 288729 to make an application.
The hospital also has a Patient Services department; they can be contacted directly and offer help and support with:
Lost Property – 01603 286803
Patient Fares – 01603 289769
Bereavement – 01603 287165, 01603 287166, 01603 289440.
Complaints
We value your comments and learn from complaints, making improvements where we can. Anyone who is receiving, or has received, NHS treatment or services can complain. If you’re unable to complain yourself, someone else, usually a relative or close friend, can do so for you – we’ll just need to contact you to confirm it’s with your agreement.
If you’re not satisfied with our service, you can make a formal complaint by emailing Palsandcomplaints@nnuh.nhs.uk or by writing to:
Chief Executive
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Colney Lane
Norwich
Norfolk
NR4 7UY
If you need support making a complaint you can contact POhWER, an independent complaints advocacy service. You can contact them by telephone: 0300 456 2370 or by email: pohwer@pohwer.net. For more information please visit their website: www.pohwer.net
PALS will not pass on any details about you or the issues you’ve raised without your knowledge or consent. For more information about Patient Confidentiality visit the general patient information page.
Our Complaints Procedure is the way we deal with formal complaints where there’s dissatisfaction with our services. See more details of the complaints procedure and how we manage complaints.
You can also call us on 01603 289036.
See the NHS Complaints policy.
Best Wishes messages
PALS runs a Best Wishes service so friends and relatives can send a message to inpatients. Send a message to a patient by filling in the details here then press Send. Please read the guidelines for more information about sending a message.
What doesn’t PALS offer?
The PALS team is non-clinical and is unable to offer counselling, diagnosis or any detailed medical information.
Opening times
| Monday | 10am – 4pm |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10am – 4pm |
| Wednesday | 10am – 4pm |
| Thursday | 10am – 4pm |
| Friday | 10am – 4pm |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
How to find us
For details about how to find us, how to get here and information about accessibility (including images), please click on the icon below: