Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

The Trust encourages patients, carers and relatives to share their experiences and feedback.

Contact can be made via email, telephone, completing a contact form, or video / face to face meetings.


What can we do?

  • Talk to senior staff on your behalf to try to resolve any concerns or issues
  • Tell you about the service we provide and about the NHS 
  • Provide information and signpost you to other support organisations 
  • Listen to your suggestions and comments and take action to improve our services
  • Hear from your positive experience and share compliments with those involved
  • Tell you about complaints advocacy services
     

When to use PALS?

If you have a concern about yourself, or about a relative or friend in our care, we recommend that you raise your concerns first of all with the people who are providing the care. They will usually be best placed to help you, and to put things right as soon as possible when they go wrong. If you want help with doing this, PALS can help you.  

A member of the PALS team will listen and discuss with you the most appropriate way to take your concerns forward and can also give advice on independent advocacy services and the formal complaints process.

Contact PALS

Royal Derby Hospital
Uttoxeter Road
Derby
DE22 8NE

The office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm (excluding Bank Holidays) and is located in the main entrance, opposite Costa Coffee.  


Queen's Hospital Burton
Belvedere Road
Burton on Trent
Staffordshire
DE13 0RB

The office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm (excluding Bank Holidays) and is located opposite the Fracture Clinic on the Ground floor.


Telephone: 01332 785 156
Text: 07799 337 500  
Email: uhdb.contactpalsderby@nhs.net

Please leave a voicemail outside of opening hours.

Information about advocacy and support

An advocate, independent of the NHS, can help you with your complaint by providing free support at any stage of the process by:

  • Helping to complete a complaint form or letter
  • Attending meetings with you
  • Review any information you are given


Contact an advocate

If you require any independent assistance or support during the complaints process, you can contact One Advocacy Service on 01332 228748, or by emailing referrals@oneadvocacyderby.org.


Derbyshire area (not City)

If you require any independent assistance or support during the complaints process, you can contact Derbyshire Mind (Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service) on 01332 623732 or email advocacy@derbyshiremind.org.uk.
 

Staffordshire area

If you require any independent assistance or support during the complaints process, you can contact Total Voice NHS Complaints Advocacy on 01785 336387 or email info@totalvoicestaffs.org.
 

Leicestershire area

If you require any independent assistance or support during the complaints process, you can contact POwHER advocacy service on 0300 456 2365, or write to PO Box 14043, Birmingham, B6 9BL or email yourvoiceyourchoice@pohwer.net.
 

If you live outside of these areas

Your local council or Healthwatch will be able to advise who your local advocacy provider is. Details of your local council may be found on the government website.
 

Externally produced information leaflets

View our information leaflets

View our PALS patient information leaflets >

Tips on making a complaint in British Sign Language (BSL)

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman role in British Sign Language

This video was produced by Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.


Tips on making a complaint to the NHS in England

This video was produced by Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

FAQ's

Obtaining copies of medical records

Copies of medical records can be obtained by completing an application form – this is available to download by visiting our health records page >

If you have any questions or queries, please contact the Subject Access Team:

Subject Access Team
Queen's Hospital Burton
Medical Records Department
Belvedere Road
Burton on Trent
DE13 0RB

Telephone: 07384 914 182
Email: uhdb.subjectaccess@nhs.net

 

Why do we need patient consent?

Please be aware that the Trust has a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after a patient has passed away. If you are raising concerns about somebody else’s care and treatment, UHDB will need confirmation that the patient is aware and has consented to their details being shared with you.

Issues around confidentiality after a patient has passed away are more complex and the PALS team would be happy to advise and support you with any queries you may have about raising a concern or a complaint about their care.

Concerns about a GP, Community Pharmacies, Dentists or Opticians:

NHS England oversee concerns about GP surgeries, community pharmacies, dentists and opticians and can be contacted:

NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net
Telephone: 0300 311 22 33

 

If you have concerns about the Radbourne Unit / The Beeches

Although based at the Royal Derby Hospital, these are run by Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Trust. To provide feedback:

Telephone: 0800 027 2128 / 01332 623751
Email: dhcft.patientexperience@nhs.net

 

If you have concerns about an Emergency Ambulance Service

If your concern is about East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS):

Telephone: 0115 884 5000
Email: pals.office@emas.nhs.uk

If your concern is about West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS):

Telephone: 0300 303 0996
Email: patientexperience@wmas.nhs.uk

 

How to a make a complaint & contact details

For further information, please visit our complaints page > 

 

How to make a Freedom of Information request to UHDB

Please contact:

Freedom of Information Manager 
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust 
Royal Derby Hospital 
Uttoxeter Road 
Derby 
DE22 3NE 

Email: uhdb.foi@nhs.net

If you are seeking personal information (i.e. regarding a patient) please use the Subject Access Request form.

 

Enquiry about work experience / volunteering / international recruitment/ apprenticeships

For information about Enquiry about work experience / volunteering / international recruitment/ apprenticeships at UHDB, please visit our job opportunities page >

 

Enquiries about Patient Knows Best

Patient Knows Best is a portal which provides patients with online access to their clinical correspondence, appointment information and appropriate test results. Please visit Online Patient Portal page to access Patient Knows Best portal>

If you have any queries, please call 01332 783474

 

Information about overseas patients and Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity

If you would like to make a donation to the Trust, please contact the Charities Office.

Charity telephone: 01332 785731

If you have any enquiries about Overseas patients, please visit overseas patient page >