Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALs)

NHFT would like to hear what you think.

Listening to our service users, carers, friends, or relatives helps us to improve the services we provide. We are here to listen when things have not gone well, so we can learn from your experience.

It is also helpful we receive feedback when things have gone well, so we can build on good practice.

We understand raising a concern can be difficult, especially when you don't know who to turn to. If you are unhappy about the treatment you or somebody you care for is receiving, it may help talking to somebody directly involved. This might be a nurse, social worker, care coordinator, ward manager or doctor – they will make every effort to resolve your concerns.

Care will not be adversely affected by any comments or complaints you make. In fact, it is more likely to help things improve for everyone.

If you are unable to discuss your concerns with a member of staff or want to discuss them with someone in confidence, away from the service, you can contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

PALS is a free and confidential service for people who would like information about, or to comment on, any aspect of the services provided by Northamptonshire NHS Healthcare Foundation Trust (NHFT).

The service has been set up to give patients, their families, and carers a voice for the way their health service is run.

 WHY ARE PALS HERE?

  • To listen to your views on the services we provide
  • To take action to deal with your concerns or your queries. If we are unable to help we will try to find someone who can.
  • To provide you with advice and information on NHFT’s services, policies and procedures
  • To help you get in touch with independent advocacy and support
  • To help you become involved in the way we plan and delivery our services
  • If you want to make a formal complaint, PALS will give you information about the Trust’s complaints procedure and support you in making your complaint. Find out more information on the complaints procedure.

If you need support to raise a concern or complaint the NHS Complaints Advocacy Service is available for you. Please see their contact details below:

Voiceability Northamptonshire NHS Complaints and Mental Health Advocacy

Tel: 0300 303 1660 (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm)

Email: helpline@voiceability.org.

 

CONFIDENTIAL EQUALITY MONITORING FORM

The Department of Health requires NHS organisations to collect equality monitoring information.

The Trust recognises that equality monitoring is an important way of assessing our services. Monitoring is an essential part of tackling inequality and discrimination, and will help us check whether we are meeting the needs of those that come into contact with our services. To help us, we would be grateful if you will consider completing E&D monitoring form [docx] 107KB

 

Help available to support you

The team are here to help and are happy to listen to your comments, suggestions and complaints. If you would like further help with making your complaint, you can use the local NHS Complaints Advocacy service who are able to provide free, independent support. The advocacy service provider will depend on where in Northamptonshire you live. If you are unsure which local authority area a postcode is under, you can check this at www.gov.uk/find-local-council

If you live in the North Northamptonshire local authority area, the provider is VoiceAbility. Their contact details are as follows:

Telephone: 0300 330 5454 (Monday to  Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Email:  nhscomplaints@voiceability.org
Voice Ability website: www.voiceability.org

Address: NHS Complaints Advocacy, Voiceability, Doddridge Centre, 109 St James Road, Northampton, NN5 5LD

 

If you live in the West Northamptonshire local authority area, the provider is POhWER. Their contact details are as follows:

Telephone: 0300 456 2370

Email:  nhscomplaints@pohwer.net

POhWER website: www.pohwer.net/

Address: POhWER, PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B9 9PB

Details can be found below:

POhWER - Do you have an NHS complaint? [pdf] 889KB

VoiceAbility Easy Read - Help to complain about the NHS: How an advocate can help [pdf] 224KB

NHS VoiceAbility - Take me seriously leaflet [pdf] 632KB

We want to support you through this difficult time. We appreciate all that families and carers do for their loved ones every day. We have good links with Northamptonshire Carers who can offer support in lots of different ways. You can contact them on 01933 677907 and more information can be found on their website - visit the website for Northamptonshire Carers. The Rethink Mental Health Charity also offers support for carers. More information can be found on the We are Rethink Mental Illness website.

Sometimes those who have had cause to raise concerns may feel worried about any impact that this might have on any care that the Trust provides to them or their family. Please be assured that care and treatment will not in any way be adversely affected by raising concerns. However, if you have any worries about this, please contact us and we will always do our best to help.