It is important for us to hear what you think of our services so that we know what we are doing well and where we need to make improvements. Whether you wish to pay us a compliment, raise a concern or make a formal complaint, our patient advice and liaison service (PALS) team are here to help and all feedback given will be kept confidential.

Pay us a compliment

  • If you have been cared for by an individual, team or service with which you had a positive experience, then let us know who they are and what they did for you. All compliments are anonymised and shared with our staff and our commissioners

Raise a concern

  • Often the easiest way to resolve a problem or to answer your questions is to speak to the staff who are caring for you or your relative. We encourage you to do this as soon as a problem arises in order for us to try to resolve it quickly. If you are unable to do this or have done this but feel that you would like to discuss your concern with someone outside of the service with which you have the concern, you can speak to a member of our patient advice and liaison service (PALS).

Make a formal complaint

  • If we are not able to resolve your concerns informally with the staff caring for you or via PALS, you can make a formal complaint.
  • Once made, your complaint will be acknowledged within three working days of receipt and we would then discuss with you how you would like us to proceed. For example, you may prefer us to arrange a meeting or to have a written response. Whichever way forward you choose, we aim to respond within 25 working days.
  • If for any reason you remain dissatisfied following our response, you may ask the Health Service Ombudsman to consider your complaint (call 0345 015 4033 or visit the Health Service Ombudsman website)

Contacting the CLCH PALS team

  • Telephone: 0800 368 0412
  • Email: clchpals@nhs.net
  • Post: PALS team, Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, 5-7 Parsons Green, London, SW6 4UL

Other information you might find useful

Frequently Asked Questions

Coronavirus and vaccinations

Can PALS assist in booking a COVID-19 vaccination?

If you are eligible, you can book your vaccine appointment by visiting the NHS website. If you are not eligible yet, please wait to be contacted. The NHS will let you know when it's your turn to have the vaccine. You can find further information on whether you are eligible on the NHS website. PALS cannot book COVID-19 vaccinations on your behalf or advise when you will receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

CLCH PALS Services

How can PALS help me? 

Our team can help you in a number of ways including: 

  • Responding to your concerns if you are unhappy with an aspect of your health care
  • Giving advice about the complaints process and deal with problems confidentially
  • Listening to your suggestions for improving medical services and health care
  • Talking to staff on your behalf
  • Advising you on the advocacy services available, should you need them 
  • Directing you to other services or agencies, where appropriate, to address your concerns.

Which services do you cover?

Each NHS Trust in England has its own dedicated team who support patients, carers and families when things go wrong. At Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust our PALS Team can only support patients, carers and families with issues they want resolved in the adult and children’s community services we provide in some boroughs in central, north, west and south London and in the adult services we provide in certain areas of Hertfordshire. Please click here to check if the service you wish to discuss is provided by us.

I want to speak to the team caring for me, can PALS help?

A list of our services and their contact information can be found on our website under the “services” tab or by searching for the relevant team. PALS are unable to transfer calls to other services, but can contact the team on your behalf if you are having trouble getting through to them.

How does CLCH learn from Concerns & Complaints?

All concerns and complaints recieved are logged securely, and we regularly review themes and any common occurences in order to learn and constantly improve the patient experience.   

What are the PALS opening hours?

PALS is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and our telephone and mailbox is only monitored during these hours. We will respond to any calls or email queries as soon as possible. 

How do I contact PALS at CLCH?

You can contact us by telephone on our Freephone number 0800 368 0412.  We are open Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm and you can leave a message outside of these hours. You can also email us at clchpals@nhs.net or complete our online form. To comply with the government rules on Covid-19 our team are working from home and your call may be diverted to a mobile number. This is a secure number and your call will be answered by one of our trusted members of staff. We also have a Complaints Team who can be contacted by email at clchcomplaints@nhs.net.

Complaints, Complements and Feedback

I want to provide a compliment or feedback - how can I do this?

If you, your carer or a family member had a positive experience using our services or if you wish to compliment an individual member of staff or any of our teams, we would welcome your feedback. You can email your compliment to the PALS Team at clchpals@nhs.net.

I want to make a complaint - how can I do this?

We want every patient, carer and family member to receive the very best care every time but if you are unhappy with the care or treatment you received from us you can complain. In the PALS Team we call this 'raising a concern'. The PALS Team will liaise on your behalf with the service you or your relative received the care and treatment from who will investigate the concern. You can expect to receive a response from the issues you have raised directly from the service within 5 working days. If the concerns you wish to raise are very serious you may wish to make a formal complaint. Formal complaints are managed by our Complaints Team who will liaise with the service on your behalf. The service will thoroughly investigate every aspect of your formal complaint and you will receive a written response within 25 working days. 

I want to complain about my GP - how can I do this?

If you wish to complain about your GP, dentist, opticians or pharmacy service you can do so by contacting NHS England by email NHS England at england.contactus@nhs.net and more information can be found on their website.

Why do you ask for my ethnicity?

We seek to understand disparities in access and health outcomes between different population groups. Knowing the ethnicity of patients who submit a complaint help us understand whether there is any trends and systemic issues. Therefore, when we process your complaint, we may ask for your (or your child's) ethnicity.

This information will be kept confidential. The only people who see this information will be members of your (or your child’s) care team and others who are authorized. Your answers will be confidential. You can read more about the information we collect and what it is used for in our Privacy Statement.

 

Advocacy Services

I need support with making a complaint, where can I find an advocate? 

Your local Healthwatch can help you find independent NHS complaints advocacy services in your area. POhWER is a charity that helps people to be involved in decisions being made about their care and can support you to raise a concern or make a complaint. POhWER’s support centre can be contacted on 0300 456 2370 for advice. VoiceAbility can also offer advocacy support and can be contacted on 01223 555800 for advice. 

Accessing Medical Records

How can I access my medical records?

If you have accessed any of our services and wish to receive a copy of your medical notes please contact our Information Governance Team. Details on how to do this can be found here. 

Working or volunteering at CLCH

How do I apply for a job at your Trust? 

Some of our vacancies are listed on our website but for all job vacancies at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust please visit the NHS Jobs website.

I've been asked to provide a job reference, who do I send this to? 

Our recruitment team is here to answer any questions you might have about applying to work at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust. You can telephone the team on 0330 024 0330 or send an email trustHR-CLCH@capita-services.co.uk. Their postal address is: HR Shared Service Centre, PO Box 2166, The Metro Building, 6-9 Donegall Square South, Belfast, BT1 9XF.

I’m interested in work experience and student placements - how can I look into this further?

For all student placements requests please email our Placements Coordinator at clcht.practice.placements@nhs.net.

I’m interested in volunteering with you - how can I get involved?

We appreciate the time, support and experiences of all our volunteers. Our Trust has a number of roles to suit different interests and time commitments. To find out more about all our volunteering opportunities please email the Volunteering Team at clcht.clchvolunteers@nhs.net.
 

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