Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and Complaints

If you or your relatives are unhappy with any aspect of your care or the service you receive while you are staying in hospital or attending an outpatient clinic, you should speak to a member of the ward or clinic staff as soon as possible. Hopefully your concerns will be resolved there and then. If they cannot help you or you are not comfortable talking to them, you can contact the Complaints & PALS Team.

If a relative or friend speaks with the Complaints & PALS staff on your behalf, we will need your permission before we can discuss your personal circumstances with them. The Complaints & PALS staff can visit you on the ward or in the department, or can be contacted by telephone, e-mail or letter. They will discuss your concerns with you, and will then ensure that a relevant senior member of staff is contacted to address the concerns and contact you. Very often concerns can be addressed straight away, so please speak to a member of staff or contact the Complaints & PALS Team as soon as possible so you can be reassured about any aspect of your care.

We welcome complaints from children and young people; please refer to our leaflet for children on how to contact the Complaints & PALS Team (link on the top right-hand corner of this page) – we would be very happy to talk to you about your concerns. 

We can : 

• Listen to your concerns, suggestions and queries

• Help resolve worries and concerns quickly and efficiently

• Provide you with information on NHS and other services

• Guide you on the formal complaints procedure if we are unable to resolve your problem

PALS will endeavour to have a sensible regard for our users' rights, dignity and cultural values. We ensure the quality of service provided to our users is not affected by their gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, age or national origin.

We would like to reassure you that your care will not be adversely affected because concerns have been raised about your care.  If you have any concerns regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact the Complaints & PALS Team.

How to Contact PALS 

Drop in location: In the main hospital Atrium the PALS office is located at destination number ‘109’, which is between the WH Smiths and Marks & Spencer Food retail outlets. The office is wheelchair accessible.

Opening times : Monday to Friday - 9.00am to 5.00pm.

Telephone : 01245 514130 (9.00am to 5.00pm - Monday to Friday). Out of hours, please leave a message.

Write to us at : 

Complaints & PALS

Broomfield Hospital

Chelmsford

Essex

CM1 7ET

Tel : 01245 514130

Fax : 01245 516395

Email : pals@meht.nhs.uk

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Complaints Helpline : Tel: 0345 015 4033

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Website : www.ombudsman.org.uk

The Ombudsman is responsible for the second tier of health related complaint handling.