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PALS - Patient Advice and Liaison Services
What is PALS? Customer Care for the NHS
The NHS can sometimes be complicated to understand. As a patient, relative, carer or member of staff sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, information or support.
PALS is a service that has been set up by the NHS for patients to have a voice in their local health services. You can contact PALS for:
- Information and advice about local health services and health-related matters
- Advice and support for patients, families, carers and staff
- Information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get in touch with someone who can help
- Information on how patients, families, carers and staff can get more involved in their own healthcare.
PALS does not replace the existing complaints procedure – further information on how to make a formal complaint is available from PALS.
PALS can be accessed by patients, their relatives, friends and carers using health services in Darlington.
How to contact PALS
Freephone: 0800 783 5774
SMS text: 07980 729 730
Email: dar-pct.pals@nhs.net
Postal address: PALS, Darlington PCT, Doctor Piper House, King Street, Darlington, DL3 6JL
PALS Opening Times
PALS has its own, private room at the Walk in Centre in Doctor Piper House, King Street, Darlington. You can drop in without an appointment during the following times:
Times effective from 1 June 2008
Monday - 9am – 4.30pm
Tuesday - 9am – 8pm
Wednesday - 9am – 4.30pm
Thursday - 9am – 8pm
Friday - 9am-4pm
Saturday (First and last Saturday of month ONLY) - 10am – 3pm
Mission statement
Quality standards have been agreed nationally to help clarify the role of PALS and ensure consistency across Trusts.
These are as follows:
- The PALS Service is identifiable and accessible to the community served by the Trust
- PALS will be seamless across health and social care
- PALS will be sensitive and provide a confidential service that meets individual needs
- PALS will have systems that make their findings known as part of routine monitoring in order to facilitate change
- PALS enables people to access information about Trust services and information about health and social care issues
- PALS plans a key role in bringing about culture change in the NHS, placing patients at the heart of service planning and delivery
- PALS will actively seek the views of service users, carers and the public to ensure effective services
Who can use PALS
- Patients
- Carers
- Families and friends of patients
- Community organisations
- Visitors to Darlington
- Staff
What can we do for you?
We provide a free and confidential service which aims to meet your needs. If PALS can’t help, we’ll find someone who can advise and support you along the way.
We provide a quick solution to concerns or can give you information on the complaints procedure.
How PALS can make a difference
We can identify where problems arise and feed this information back to services to introduce changes. By influencing change, our aim is to prevent problems being repeated.
