This page has details of our patient advice and liaison service (PALS), along with information about sharing compliments and complaints, or leaving feedback.

Our patient advice and liaison service (PALS) acts on behalf of service users, families and carers to negotiate prompt solutions to problems and help bring about changes in the way that services are developed.

As well as providing a confidential advice and support service, PALS provides information on:

  • the NHS and health related matters
  • the complaints procedures and how to get in touch with someone who can help
  • how you can get involved in our work
  • volunteering opportunities with us

Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS)
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Headquarters
225 Old Street
Ashton-under-Lyne
Lancashire
OL6 7SR

Tel: 0161 716 3083
(24 hour answer phone)

Contact: pals.penninecare@nhs.net

If you have a complaint, we're keen to work with you to resolve your concerns.

Email: complaints.penninecare@nhs.net

Call: 0161 716 3083

Write to us:

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Headquarters
Complaints Department
225 Old Street
Ashton-under-Lyne
Lancashire
OL6 7SR

There are some drop down menus further down the page with more information about making a complaint, including who can make a complaint, how it will be handled and what to do if we're unable to resolve it.

If you can't find the information you're looking for, please contact our complaints department on the details above.

If you'd like to compliment a member of staff, team, department or service, you can:

Chief Executive
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Headquarters
225 Old Street
Ashton-under-Lyne
Lancashire
OL6 7SR

Once your compliment has been received, our chief executive will write to the member of staff, (or the team or department manager) to inform them.

We welcome any comments or messages on social media about how we're doing.

We're able to pass these on to the appropriate teams and provide you with contact details should you wish to share them directly.

Our central social media accounts are ran by the communications team, or you can click the link below to see which of our services have their own accounts:

 

The friends and family test asks service users ‘overall, how was your experience of the service?’

Complete the short questionnaire to give your feedback online.

Visit our friends and family test page to see past feedback or learn more.

We've also produced some leaflets with this information, including some in easy read format:
You can find more information about making a complaint and our complaints processes by clicking the boxes below:
The NHS complaints procedure is for service users, carers and relatives to raise concerns about care and treatment provided by us.

Carers or relatives may also raise complaints about how they've been treated by our staff.

Any other person who has been affected by a decision, act or omission made by us may also make a complaint.

You can make a complaint by:

  • Speaking with a member of staff
  • Using the contact us form (scroll to the bottom of that page)
  • Phone: 0161 716 3083
  • Writing to the Chief Executive or Complaints Department at:

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Headquarters
225 Old Street
Ashton-under-Lyne
Lancashire
OL6 7SR

You can make a complaint within 12 months of an incident or event (which is the subject of the complaint) occurring, or within 12 months of the time when you became aware you had reason to complain about the incident or event.

It's possible to make a complaint outside the above time limit if you had good reasons for not making the complaint within that time limit, and it's still possible to investigate your complaint effectively and fairly.

You may make a complaint prior to, during or after your treatment with us (as long as it is within the above timescale).

A service user's care and treatment will not be adversely affected by access to the NHS complaints procedure and all complaints will be treated with sensitivity and confidentiality.

If you wish to complain on behalf of someone else, the service user will be informed of your complaint.

They will be asked to provide their consent for you to access the NHS complaints procedure on their behalf and for us to share details of their care and treatment with you in order to respond to your complaint.

If you are making a complaint on behalf of a service user who lacks the capacity to make an informed decision regarding information sharing, the following procedure will take place:

  • The service user's consultant psychiatrist will be asked to confirm if the service user has capacity to make decisions regarding information sharing.
  • If the consultant psychiatrist is of the opinion that they do not, our Caldicott guardian will make a decision whether it's in the service user's best interests for confidential information to be shared with you in order to respond to your complaint.
If your complaint spans the services of another NHS trust or social services department, as well as our services, the complaints team will liaise with the other party (or parties) to consider providing a joint response.

This means that it may be possible to provide you with one response letter which addresses your concerns.

Once your complaint is received, it will be acknowledged within three working days.

You'll be involved in agreeing an action plan to address your complaint; this may involve a telephone call, a meeting, an investigation and written response (or a combination of the above).

A member of staff will review the complexity of your complaint and provide you with a reasonable timescale for response.

We'll also tell you about the free complaints advocacy service available to support you.

If you're not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you may contact the complaints department to inform them of your outstanding concerns.

We will then consider if there is any further action we can take in order to achieve local resolution for you. This may involve a meeting, further investigation or further written response to your outstanding points.

We will also tell you about your right to approach the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, who are the next stage of the complaints procedure.

If you remain dissatisfied following our attempts at local resolution, or if you do not wish to engage in further local resolution, you have the option to approach the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's office to ask them to review our handling of your complaint.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's contact details are as follows:

The 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

We record all complaints and look at them alongside other feedback we receive about our services, to see how we can learn and improve the care we provide. We also provide regular reports to relevant forums.

These reports provide the number of complaints we receive and what they're about, which highlights themes and trends, and details the action taken in response.

You can find our annual complaints reports in one of the boxes further down this page.

Every year we publish a report of the complaints we've received. Click the links below to view them by (financial) year:

The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. They regulate care provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations. Their aim is to make sure better care is provided for everyone - in hospitals, care homes and people's own homes. They also seek to protect the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act. Should you have a concern on the carrying on of a regulated activity you can inform the Care Quality Commission.

Further information about the Care Quality Commission is available on their website www.cqc.org.uk.