What is PALS?
Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) exists to give a helping hand to patients, their families and carers and staff if they need advice or information about the NHS or are having problems accessing local health services.
PALS will:
- listen to your queries and concerns in confidence
- give you information and advice about local health services
- try to sort out any problems that you may be having as quickly as possible
- direct you to other sources of help
- make sure that your comments, concerns and compliments help to improve the Trust’s services
- advise you how to make a formal complaint
What's the difference between PALS, the complaints procedure and ICAS
ICAS provides information, support and guidance to patients and their carers wishing to pursue a formal complaint about their NHS treatment or care. This may include assistance with writing a letter of complaint or speaking on behalf of a complainant at meetings. ICAS is a statutory service which is free of charge and is completely independent of the health service.
Step 1
If something is bothering you, try raising the concern with the person providing your care in the first instance
Step 2
If you have tried this and you feel that they were unable to help you or you don’t feel able to discuss your concerns direct with the person involved, then contact PALS who can raise your concerns on your behalf or provide support by attending a meeting with you
Step 3
If you still feel dissatisfied and you wish to make a complaint, PALS can give you information about the appropriate complaints procedure. Please click here for further information.
What happens to information about me if I contact PALS?
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust is committed to improving services to meet the needs and expectations of service users. PALS helps us build up a picture of what is important to patients. This information is used to inform our development plans for the future. PALS reports always uses anonymous information and we take great care to ensure individuals cannot be identified.
PALS Survey
It is our aim to provide a high quality Patient Advice and Liaison Service. If you have used our PALS service recently, we’d be pleased to receive your feedback.
Please take a few minutes to complete the short survey on the right hand side. The information supplied on this survey will not be shared with third parties outside of our organisation.
Please return the attached to the FREEPOST address below or email back to CCSPALS.
Licence Number RSAE-ELUT-RHCL
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Comms Team
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
The Priory, Priory Road
St Ives, Cambridgeshire
PE27 5ZY
Need more information?
If you would like more information on Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust or are interested in helping to shape the future of our services, please complete the form on the right hand side and return it to the freepost address listed.
A list of PALS and Public Engagement Events can be found here.
Cambridgeshire residents:
Christopher Hampson
Patient Advice and Public Engagement Co-ordinator
Freephone: 0800 0132511
Tel: 01480 355184
Mobile: 07507 195375
ccs-tr.pals@nhs.net
Peterborough residents:
Chris Rowell PALS Manager
Christine Kemp PALS Officer
Tel: 01733 776283
Fax: 01733 776101 (this is not a confidential fax)
Email: PALSTeam@peterboroughpct.nhs.uk
Suffolk residents accessing the Trust’s sexual health services:
Ipswich Hospital PALS:
Tel: 01473 702064 or 0800 328 7624
NHS Suffolk’s PALS:
Tel: 0800 389 6819
Email: pals@suffolkpct.nhs.uk
Luton:
Arrangements for a PALS service for Luton’s community services are currently being finalised.
We'll be happy to phone you back, if you're worried about the cost of calling us.