Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

The Trust's patient advice and liaison service offers confidential advice and support to help you with any concerns you may have about your care, or the care of a relative or friend.

Our aim is to try and resolve any concerns as quickly as possible. If necessary we can refer you to other services for additional support.

PALS will not speak to anyone about your concerns unless they have your permission to do so.

The service offered by PALS is informal, impartial and confidential.
 

PALS can:

  • Help resolve any issues about your care

  • Advise and support you, your family, visitors and carers

  • Guide you, your relatives and friends through the different services available at the Trust.

  • Help you access other services

  • Listen to your suggestions for improving our services

You can contact the PALS team by phone or email and we will do our best to quickly resolve your issue, involving relevant staff from around the Trust where necessary:

 

Contact

Queen Elizabeth Hospital:

Phone:  020 8836 4592

Email:  lg.palsandcomplaints@nhs.net

 

University Hospital Lewisham and community services in Lewisham:

Phone:  020 8333 3355

Email:  lg.palsandcomplaints@nhs.net

If you wish to make a formal complaint, please see Making a complaint.

Please note that we are currently not offering a walk-in service at either hospital.

Frequently asked questions

How do I give a compliment?

If you wish to give a compliment, please contact the PALS team.

Enquiries about inpatients 

Please call the ward directly and ask to speak to the nurse in charge.

Wards at University Hospital Lewisham

Wards at Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Access to medical records

For information on how to request access to your health records, please visit the Access to health and staff records page.

Reporting a loss, theft or damage

We advise patients not to bring valuable items in to hospital to reduce the risk of items being lost or damaged. However, we realise that some items are essential, such as glasses, dentures and hearing aids. If you have any of these items with you, please make sure that the nursing team are aware. The PALS team will do their best to locate any lost property by liaising with the relevant wards/departments. 

Results

Please note that PALS is not a clinical service and we cannot provide medical advice, information or results. For this you would need to speak with the clinicians responsible for your care.

Delays to planned care

We thank you for your patience during this challenging time. Please be assured that the Trust will write to you as soon as possible with details of your appointment, procedure or  surgery. Please note that PALS officers are unable to bring forward appointments or surgery dates.

How can I cancel or change an appointment?

If you need to cancel or change your outpatient appointment, please call the Outpatients Call Centre on 020 8333 3216 (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm) or email lh.appointments@nhs.net. PALS is not able to cancel or change appointment dates.

How do I make a complaint about the patient transport service?

Compliments or complaints regarding patient transport should be directed to complaints@hatgroup.com

Who do I contact if I have an issue with car parking?

If you have an issue with car parking, you can contact Wise Parking, the company that manages our car parks, by pressing the help button on any pay station. You will be able to speak to an operator who can assist with your inquiry. If your query relates to a PCN (Parking Charge Notice), you will need to follow the guidance provided in the PCN letter and either appeal the PCN or pay the fine. The Trust will not rescind any correctly issued PCNs. For further information about car parking, please visit our car parking page or email: info@wiseparking.co.uk.