Patient Advice and Liaison Service

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 2000. Pilot schemes were set up in 2001, with full nationwide implementation complete by 2002.

The functions of PALS are to:

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. In some areas, PALS also provide complaint handling for hospitals. PALS services are therefore not always independent.

Each NHS Trust 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.

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