Help and advice

How can PALS help?

The PALS team at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a patient friendly, easy-to-access service designed to provide a personal contact to assist patients, relatives and carers.

PALS can offer you on-the-spot advice and information when you have queries or difficulties regarding our services or the care you have received.

They will listen to your concerns and help you find ways of resolving them.

They will also take note of what you tell them to help us improve our services for patients.

PALS charter

The St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Patient Advice and Liaison Service is here to help patients and their relatives and carers find a speedy and effective solution to any problems they may encounter.

They can also give you up to date information about the services available throughout the Trust.

If you contact PALS for assistance or advice, the PALS team will:

  • Advise you of the options available to you and help you to find the best way of resolving your problem
  • Deal with your problems in confidence and only pass on information to other people or departments with your permission
  • Keep you advised at all times of the progress of any action you ask us to take on your behalf.
  • Contact you in person or by telephone within one working day of your request.
  • Use anonymised information from our contact with you to improve hospital services for the future
  • Not access your medical records or obtain information about you from staff without your permission.
  • Ask you if you were happy with the assistance we gave and ask for suggestions for making the PALS service better.
  • Ensure that no person who contacts The Patient Advice and Liaison Service will receive less favourable treatment from PALS on the grounds of their sex, marital status, race, colour, creed, religion, physical disability, mental health, learning difficulty, age or sexual orientation

If you have problems or difficulties

If you have a problem which has not been sorted out on the ward or in a department, PALS will help you to resolve it, or refer you to the appropriate person who will be able to assist you further.

Should you need to speak to a particular member of staff, PALS can contact the relevant member of staff and ask them to contact you.

The PALS team can also help to explain the complaints process and refer you to the complaints department when necessary as well as outside advocacy services should you need them.

If you require an interpreter

If your first language is not English, PALS will be able to help and will work with the department you are attending to arrange for an interpreter to assist you.

If you are not happy

If you are not happy with the help you receive from the PALS, please contact the Trust’s Patient Experience Manager.

PALS Office
St George’s Hospital
Blackshaw Road
London
SW17 0QT

Email: pals@stgeorges.nhs.uk
[You must read the trust’s email correspondence disclaimer before using this service]

For more information please read Help us to help you.