Good Hope�s PALS - the best in Brum and the Black Country!

Good Hope Hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service has achieved top marks in a formal review of its performance by Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic Health Authority.

Good Hope is the only one of all seven acute hospital trusts in Birmingham and the Black Country to achieve “green” scores, the highest possible, in all six quality standards checked by the review.

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service – better known as PALS – provides advice and support for patients and their carers. Jean Lunn, the PALS and Volunteers Coordinator at Good Hope Hospital, said: “I’m very pleased with the review results. We are all pleased as punch to have done so well.

“I’m very proud of all the staff who have contributed to this success. It’s down to a lot of hard work, but more than that, it reflects the dedication and care that everyone puts in to helping patients, their families and loved ones.” Barbara Beal, Director of Nursing and the Trust’s lead on patient and public involvement, said: “I’m delighted that our PALS are getting such warm praise. It’s richly deserved. They are the unsung heroes of the NHS.

“All PALS staff are volunteers apart from the co-ordinator. They do such an effective job because they have often been patients themselves and understand what we need to do to help them.”

The review highlighted the use of volunteers at Good Hope. It concluded:

“The use of volunteers as PALS representatives significantly enhances the type, range and quality of the service. This model, which includes criminal record board checks of all PALS volunteers, warrants particular praise.”
The review also praised the PALS publicity material, its positive working relationships with other hospital staff and the significant impact it has had on improving hospital services.

For more information, contact Andy Comber, Head of Communications, at Good Hope NHS Trust: 0121 378 2211 ext 1146, Mob: 07974 575104.

PRESS RELEASE

Good Hope PALS – facts and figures:

The hospital has a team of 12 PALS volunteers. They provide advice and support at key locations, such as our new Treatment Centre. They also conduct regular ward rounds to talk to patients and staff. During 2004/05 there were 707 formally recorded PALS contacts with patients and visitors – more than double the previous year’s number. This is just a small fraction of the many hundreds of times each year PALS staff help patients.

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service is judged against six standards. It should:

• Be identifiable and accessible to the community served by the Trust
• Be seamless across health and social care
• Be sensitive and provide a confidential service
• Have systems that make their findings known as part of routine monitoring to facilitate change
• Enable people to access information about Trust services and health and social care
• Play a key role in bringing about social change in the NHS, placing patients at the heart of service planning and delivery.

To get the best out of your Good Hope PALS:

• Involve PALS quickly, so they can involve the best people to help sort out your concern or answer your questions.
• If possible raise your concerns before you are discharged. Problems can often be solved more quickly if they are dealt with at the time.
• If you are a concerned relative or carer, obtain the consent of the person on whose behalf you are raising the concern before
  approaching PALS.
• Provide personal information, such as a patient’s name, address and hospital number.
• Try to be specific about what your concerns are – it helps PALS identify the best person to deal with them.
• Say what action you want to be taken. PALS will always be honest about what is possible, and how it can be achieved.
• Tell PALS when you’ve had a positive experience as well – they can pass on compliments and messages of thanks.
• If in doubt, ask PALS.

You can contact PALS on 0121 378 6232 or you may ask staff on the switchboard to bleep a PALS officer on 220.

Anyone who wants to become a PALS representative should contact the PALS and Volunteer Co-ordinator, Jean Lunn. Telephone her on: 0121 378 2211 extension: 2346.

Source : Good Hope