Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Encyclopedia
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, or PALS, is an English National Health Service
body created to provide advice and support to NHS patients and their relatives and carers.
The scheme was announced in the NHS Plan, published in July 2000.
Pilot schemes were set up in 2001, with full nationwide implementation complete by 2002.
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The service can, for instance, act as a first point of contact for complaints, as well as providing information on NHS services and available treatment options.
has at least one PALS office, although many have more, with Durham PCT having the largest number: five (albeit four shared with Darlington PCT). An individual PALS office will therefore cover either a Trust, or a geographical area, and there may be more than one possible point of contact.
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
body created to provide advice and support to NHS patients and their relatives and carers.
The scheme was announced in the NHS Plan, published in July 2000.
Pilot schemes were set up in 2001, with full nationwide implementation complete by 2002.
Functions
The functions of PALS are to:- Be identifiable and accessible to patients, their carers, friends and families
- Provide on the spot help in every Trust with the power to negotiate immediate solutions or speedy resolution of problems.
- Act as a gateway to appropriate independent advice and advocacy support from local and national sources.
- Provide accurate information to patients, carers and families, about theTrust’s services, and about other health related issues
- Act as a catalyst for change and improvement by providing the Trust with information and feedback on problems arising and gaps in services.
- Operate within a local network with other PALS in their area and work across organisational boundaries
- Support staff at all levels within the Trust to develop a responsive culture.
"
The service can, for instance, act as a first point of contact for complaints, as well as providing information on NHS services and available treatment options.
Offices
Each NHS TrustNHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
has at least one PALS office, although many have more, with Durham PCT having the largest number: five (albeit four shared with Darlington PCT). An individual PALS office will therefore cover either a Trust, or a geographical area, and there may be more than one possible point of contact.