Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of variation between NHS trusts in the a) operation and b) resourcing of Patient Advice and Liaison Services.

No assessment has been made of the operation and level of resourcing of Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) across National Health Service trusts. PALS is a free, confidential and independent service providing advice and support to resolve issues affecting NHS patients informally and, in some areas, formally through the NHS complaints process. It is for NHS trusts to determine the provision of PALS within their hospitals.

The 10-Year Health Plan committed the Department and NHS England to improving the handling of patient complaints, including to update of complaint regulations. It is intended that this will also consider related matters, such as the introduction of new forms of feedback and the role of PALS. This will be within the portfolio of the new National Director for Patient Experience, for which recruitment will soon be underway.