Patient Advice and Liaision Service (PALS) and Complaints
Your experience is important
We know that sharing feedback can sometimes feel difficult, but your experience is important to us. Whether you would like to tell us about something that went well or something that could have been better, we genuinely want to hear from you.
We listen carefully to everything you share. If we have not met your expectations, we are committed to learning from your experience and doing what we can to put things right as quickly as possible.
Getting in touch with PALS or making a complaint will never affect the care you receive, now or in the future, and it will not be recorded in your medical records.
If you are contacting us on behalf of someone else, we may need to speak with them to make sure they are happy for you to act on their behalf.
It means a great deal to our teams when patients and families take the time to share positive feedback. If you have received care that made a difference to you, we would love to hear about it.
We make sure all compliments and messages of thanks are shared with the staff and managers involved, so they know the impact their care has had.
You can choose to leave this feedback anonymously or you can fill in your contact details.
If something is worrying you, we encourage you to speak to a senior member of staff on the ward or in the department in the first instance. They will do their best to support you and address your concerns as quickly as possible.
If you would prefer to speak to someone who is not directly involved in your care, or if you feel your concerns have not been resolved, you can contact our PALS team for advice and support.
If your concern relates to a patient who is currently on one of our wards, we will make sure it is shared promptly with the senior nurse or appropriate senior manager. They will contact you to discuss your concerns and agree any actions needed to help resolve the situation.
PALS is a confidential service and will help you get support and advice should you have concerns about your, or a patient’s, care or experience.
They will :
- listen to your concerns or complaints
- liaise with the relevant staff, to try to resolve your concerns as quickly as possible
- if necessary, advise you on the NHS Complaints Procedure and how to contact the Complaints Team.
For more information about how to make a complaint, read our PALS Leaflet.
An easy read version of the leaflet is also available.
If your concern relates to something that has already happened and needs a more detailed investigation, you may wish to make a formal complaint. In line with NHS Complaints Regulations, formal complaints should be made within 12 months of the event, or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue.
You can submit a formal complaint in whichever way feels easiest for you, via the contact details listed above or by using our online form:
Once we receive your complaint, the Complaints Team will carefully review the details with you so that we are able to provide a written response within an agreed timeframe, usually between 45–60 working days. We are committed to listening, understanding, and taking appropriate action to resolve your concerns.
We want to hear your complaint in your own words, but we understand that some people find Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, helpful when completing forms. Please be aware that AI-generated text can sometimes make complaints more complicated or include legal language that isn’t relevant. This could slow down our review, or mean that we may need to ask you to resubmit your complaint.
To get the best results while making sure your complaint still reflects your own experience, try to keep your AI prompts focused on what happened and how it made you feel. A “prompt” is simply the question or instruction you give the AI to guide it in helping you write your complaint, for example:
Prompt suggestion 1:
I need to clearly explain what happened on [date] when [describe the situation]. Here are the details: [provide all the facts and circumstances]. Help me organise these into a clear structure that shows what happened first, second, third and so on.
Prompt suggestion 2:
Help me describe what happened in simple, clear language: [describe each issue in detail, including who was involved, what they said or did, and when it happened]. Help me express this clearly while keeping it in my own voice.
Prompt suggestion 3:
Rewrite the text below as a clear, polite complaint. Use only the information I have provided. Do not add or invent new facts. Be concise and professional, but not too formal. Include a closing paragraph suggesting how I would like the complaint to be resolved.
Do not ask AI to add legal arguments, use formal legal language or reference laws to try and make your complaint sound more ‘official’. It is also important to check any AI-generated text to make sure it reflects your own personal experience and contains accurate facts.
It is important to remember the risks of sharing your information with AI tools. Providers of these tools may use it to train their AI systems and may process it in different countries. Avoid entering sensitive personal information unless you are confident about how it will be used and protected.
If you would like help to raise a concern or make a complaint, you can contact your local Independent Complaints Health Advocacy service. This is a free and confidential service that can guide you through the process and offer support.
For people living in Tameside & Glossop, or other areas covered by their service, VoiceAbility can provide this support. You can contact them:
By email: helpline@voiceability.org
By phone: 0300 303 1660
More information, including how to find your local service, is available on the VoiceAbility Advocacy and involvement website.
If you are looking for general health advice or information, Healthwatch England can also help.
We have a detailed policy and procedure for dealing with complaints.
Our complaints procedure is based on the NHS complaints procedures, details of which are on the NHS website: NHS Complaints Procedure
You can obtain independent assistance with your complaint and Independent Complaints Advocacy from VoiceAbility via phone on 0300 303 1660, www.voiceability.org or e-mail helpline@voiceability.org.
If you need support with making a complaint about NHS care or treatment the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICA) is a free service that can assist you. ICA can provide you with advice on how to make a complaint and help you write your letter of complaint. The service can also speak to the hospital or service on your behalf. You can call ICA at the Manchester Advocacy Hub on 0161 834 6069 or email: advocacy@gaddum.org.uk or write to them at The Gaddum Centre, Gaddum House, 6 Great Jackson Street, Manchester, M15 4AX.