the dudley group of hospitals nhs trust complaints policy and ...

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3 THE PALS-COMPLAINTS INTERFACEPALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) should not become a proxy forcomplaints. However, it should be the choice of the individual to use either PALSor the NHS Complaints Procedure; there should be no requirement for serviceusers to use the PALS first if they wish to make a formal complaint.Clearly, close collaboration between PALS and the Trust Complaints Departmentis essential to ensure a coherent and seamless approach to resolving patient’sconcerns. However, there is a clear differentiation of the roles of PALS and theComplaints Department. PALS will not investigate complaints and their role isclearly to inform and support people to access the complaints procedure whenrequested:• When patients first have a concern or issue they wish to raise, their first pointof contact will often be with a member of staff or PALS.• PALS will act as quickly and creatively as possible to support service users,their carers and families to deal with their problems, before they becomemore serious.• Concerns may be resolved by listening, providing relevant information, or bycontacting departments on behalf of the patient• A key PALS role is to help people to talk through their concerns so that theycan identify the nature of the problem and work out various options, includinguse of the formal complaints procedure, for resolving the issue, explaining thepotential consequences of each option.• PALS will provide a service for service users, which aims to improve theirsatisfaction and reduce any confusion or anxiety they may have.There may be occasions when patients, their carers or relatives contacting PALShave previously made a formal complaint, or taken other action to gain resolutionregarding an issue. Patients should not use PALS to pursue a concern once thecomplaints procedure has been exhausted. PALS staff may decide that no actionthey can take will provide an effective and speedy resolution, and that the issue isoutside their remit. PALS will provide information regarding appropriateindependent advocacy or alternative means of pursuing the matter. It is importantthat PALS are able to work in an independent way and inform people of all theiroptions and rights. Contacts with PALS may initially frame their concern in theform of a complaint but the PALS staff will seek to identify if the concern can bedealt with informally through PALS. In all cases the choice of action should beagreed with the person raising the concern or issue.Using PALS will not remove the right of patients to pursue the complaints option atany stage; however, it would not be appropriate to use PALS and the Complaints4
Department simultaneously to address the same problem. PALS will act as agateway to the complaints service in the Trust. In certain cases it will benecessary to refer an individual to the complaints procedure. For example:• The person chooses to use the complaints procedure rather than the informalprocess.• The issue cannot be resolved through the informal process.• Allegations of staff assault or incidents of similar seriousness.4 LOCAL RESOLUTION PROCESS4.1 IntroductionThe Trust has designated the Complaint Co-ordinators as investigating complaintsmanagers. As such, they will be granted access to all the relevant records, which areessential for the investigation of any complaint referred to them. The role of theComplaints Co-ordinators is to deal with complaints and to prepare a draft response forthe Chief Executive to sign. The Complaints Co-ordinators will aim to resolvecomplaints at local resolution level, offering mediation where complaints cannot beresolved.4.2 Time LimitsA complaint should normally be made within six months from the incident that causedthe problem, or within six months of the date of discovering the problem. The Trust hasdiscretion to extend this time limit where it would be unreasonable in the circumstancesof a particular case for the complaint to have been made earlier and where it is stillpossible to investigate the facts of the case.4.3 Continuing care whilst a complaint is in progress(avoidance of discrimination)It is recognised that, on rare occasions, the relationship between a patient and aclinician may break down and the patient may feel cause to complain about thatindividual. This may happen in any discipline and specialty within the services operatedby the Trust. It is Trust policy not to withdraw clinical treatment or support as a result ofa complaint.If a patient complains verbally to a doctor, nurse, midwife or other health professional, inaccordance with the local resolution procedure, the doctor, nurse, midwife or healthprofessional will try and resolve the matter to the complainant’s satisfaction at that timeor within a very short period, so as to minimize any ill effect on the patient’s continuingneed for care.5
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Page 7 and 8: determining the occasions when main
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