NHS West Sussex Health & wellbeing for life

As a patient, relative or carer sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice and support.

Our PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) can help with:

• Information and advice about health services, voluntary organisations, support groups and advocacy.
• Support to resolve quickly and informally any concerns or queries that you may have about your healthcare or give you details of someone who can help.

You can be confident that issues you raise will be taken seriously and that your feedback will be used to improve services.

Alternatively, if you want to make a complaint, our dedicated team will support you in making a complaint, guide you through the complaint process and if necessary, advise you of independent advocacy services.

One of our PALS staff will listen to your enquiry and where you request information we will provide this. If we are not able to provide the information when you contact us, we will make enquiries or advise you where you can get the details.

When you request advice or support you can speak to our staff in confidence and discuss any issues or problems you or someone close to you might be experiencing with local healthcare services. We will talk through the issue with you and discuss how we might be able to help. You do not need to give your name and we will not speak to your health professionals or anyone else without your permission. 

When something has gone wrong and you wish to make a complaint and have it investigated, we can support you.

NHS West Sussex treats every complaint seriously and aims to resolve complaints to your satisfaction and at the earliest opportunity.

All complaints are treated in confidence and making one will not affect your current or future care or treatment.

Our team will:

• Help you write down your complaint or take details over the telephone.
• Acknowledge your written complaint within three working days.
• Contact you to check we have understood your complaint, agree how you would like it to be investigated and how long it is likely to take for you to receive a response.
• Let you know who will be co-ordinating and investigating your complaint.
• Keep you informed of the progress of your complaint and if there is likely to be a delay in responding.
• Ensure we use language that is easy to read and understand.
• Reassure you that your care will not be compromised by making a complaint.
   

If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint or any aspect of our complaints handling then you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. You will need to let them know what your outstanding concerns are and they will decide whether they can investigate further.

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

For more information about the Health Service Ombudsman, go to www.ombudsman.org.uk