Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
We're here to help - to provide on the spot help and advice
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is available to patients who wish to raise any issues or concerns regarding their stay in hospital.
Please talk to the ward staff if you have any issues and concerns, and if that does not resolve the problem, please ask them to contact the PALS staff. Even if you have been discharged from hospital, you can still make the trust aware of any issues you wish to raise.
The PALS team are available between 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. You can speak to the PALS team in confidence by email at westherts.pals@nhs.net or by phone, on: 01923 217198.
Out of hours - please leave a telephone message or send an e-mail and you will receive a response to your enquiry the next working day. In an emergency, ask for the on-call manager via the Watford General Hospital’s main telephone number 01923 244366.
Should your relatives/carers/friends wish to raise concerns on your behalf, we would need to have your written consent. This is to protect patient confidentiality.
We welcome calls via the Text Relay service - prefix all numbers with 18001.
Function of PALS
- To provide users with information about the NHS and help with other health-related enquiries
- To help resolve concerns or problems encountered by NHS users
- To provide information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get independent help where users decide they may want to make a formal complaint
- To provide information about, and signpost or refer to, agencies and support groups outside the NHS
- To inform users about getting more involved in their own healthcare and the NHS locally
- To improve the NHS by listening to concerns, suggestions and experiences and ensuring that people who design and manage services are aware of the issues raised
- To act as early warning system for NHS Trusts and monitoring bodies by identifying problems or gaps in services and reporting them
Staff
There are five staff in the PALS office who are unbiased and will discuss concerns raised. We are excellent communicators and mediators who liaise with all members of staff to reach a good resolution.
Interpreting and Translation
Should you, your family or carer require an interpreter or signer for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust clinic appointments, ward meetings or to communicate your concerns, we can book a trained person to assist.
The PALS department is able to organise interpreters and translation of script (e.g. medical records. general healthcare related information) upon request. For Interpreting and Translation enquiries, please contact PALS on 01923 217198. To arrange an interpreter, an Interpreter & Sign Language form should be filled out and sent to the PALS Office. Emergency interpreting will be organized through the PALS Office during working hours.
Interpreters are still available but only by video or phone. Please contact the PALS team if you have any concerns on 01923 217198 or westherts.pals@nhs.net. Please request the Video Relay Service (VRS).
This support is free to our service users.
