Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Last updated: Thursday 09 July 2026

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) provides impartial advice and assistance in answering questions and resolving concerns that patients, their relatives, friends, and carers might have when accessing the NHS services provided by North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust.

Enquirers that are unhappy with any aspect of their care are advised to speak to a member of staff on the ward or in the department they are being treated in as soon as possible. If they feel unable to speak directly to staff, then they are advised to contact PALS who will be able to assist. The team can also visit patients and carers on the ward. Very often problems can be resolved straight away, so please speak to a member of staff or contact PALS as soon as possible.

How the PALS team can support:

  • advise and support patients, relatives and carers
  • signpost to other NHS services
  • listen to your concerns, suggestions or feedback
  • help resolve concerns quickly on your behalf by liaising with other staff

What PALS cannot do:

  • offer a counselling service
  • give you detailed medical information or a medical diagnosis
  • change or affect a medical decision that has been made
  • book or change appointments
  • influence or bring forward treatment or appointments
  • provide medical records
  • deal with requests for work experience or volunteer opportunities, references, invoices, job applications and promotional and advertising materials. These requests will not receive a response.
  • help with queries relating to other Trusts or primary care providers, such as GP, Pharmacy, Opticians or Mental Health Services.

Please note PALS is not an emergency service. If you have concerns regarding your medical health, please contact your GP or 111.

How to contact the PALS team

PALS opening hours: Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm (excluding bank holidays)

You can contact the team via one of the following methods:

  • PALS Office: the office is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (excluding bank holidays). No appointment is necessary but please bear in mind that other patients may be seeing the team or staff may be out of the office visiting a patient on the ward
  • Telephone: 01925 275512 (please note if there is nobody available to take your call, please leave a voicemail and a member of the team will aim to get back to you within 24 hours)
  • Email: ncm.pals@nhs.net 

Please note if you are contacting PALS on behalf of someone else, we will need consent from that person to investigate your enquiry.

Other sources of help

Martha’s Rule

Patient safety is a priority at North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust. Martha’s Rule is a national NHS patient safety initiative. It helps us recognise early signs that someone may be getting worse. It also supports you to raise concerns if you are worried about your own health or a loved one’s condition.

For more information, visit the Martha's Rule page.

Blood tests

For blood test (phlebotomy) appointments, visit the 'Blood test (phlebotomy) clinics' service page.

Waiting list information

Contact the Waiting List Team using the number at the top of your letter or through the hospital switchboard.

Appointment information

Call the Appointment Team using the number on your appointment letter. You can also visit the 'Coming in for an appointments' page.

Patient property

Find out what to bring into hospital and how we look after your belongings on the 'Looking after your property' page.

Access to medical records 

Visit the 'Access to medical records' page to learn how to request your records.

Parking concerns

For questions about parking or fines, visit the 'Parking' page.

Concerns relating to GPs or dental services

All NHS services in England have their own complaints process.

You can complain to:

  • the NHS service provider (for example, your GP, dentist or hospital), or
  • the organisation that pays for the service (the commissioner)

You cannot complain to both for the same issue.

If your complaint involves more than one service, the organisations will work together to provide a joined-up response.

Find out who the commissioner is

Contact your local integrated care board (ICB) if your complaint relates to:

  • GPs
  • dentists
  • opticians
  • pharmacists
  • hospital care
  • mental health services
  • community services (such as district nursing)
  • NHS 111 or out-of-hours services

Each ICB has its own complaints process, which you can find on its website.

You can also search online to find your local ICB.

Healthwatch - Warrington
Email: contact@healthwatchwarrington.co.uk 
Phone: 01925 246893

Healthwatch - Halton
Email: enquiries@healthwatchhalton.co.uk 
Phone: 0300 7776543

Healthwatch - St Helens
Email: info@healthwatchsthelens.co.uk 
Phone: 0300 1110007

Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Email: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk 
Phone: 0800 132996

NHS England
Email: england.contactus@nhs.net 
Phone: 0300 3112233