Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Contacting PALS

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is here to help when you need advice, have concerns or don’t know where to turn. As a patient, relative or carer, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice and support. This is where the Patient Advice and Liaison Service can help.

This service is free and confidential. Our aim is to help sort out any problems or concerns you may have when using health services, agree the best way forward to deal with a problem and get it resolved as quickly as possible.  We will do this by:

  • Offering advice and support to patients, their families and carers
  • Providing information on NHS services
  • Listening and responding to concerns, suggestions or queries
  • Talking to staff, management and other organisations on your behalf, where you do not want to raise the issue directly with the service concerned. For links to NHS services in Somerset, see ‘other healthcare providers’ below.
  • Helping sort problems on your behalf.

We will always ask for your permission before personal information is discussed with others. Only in exceptional cases, where your safety or that of others must be considered, will we have to pass on information without your agreement. We will always tell you if we have to do this.

Contact details

Write to us:

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board,

Freepost RRKL-XKSC-ACSG,

Yeovil, Somerset,

BA22 8HR

Telephone us: 08000 851067

Email us: somicb.pals@nhs.net

Use the form at the bottom of this page and post or email it to us at the above address

If you feel that the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) has not been able to satisfactorily resolve your concerns, further details about how to make a formal complaint will be provided to you. Alternatively, further information about how to make a complaint can be obtained from the Complaints section of this website.

COVID-19 vaccination queries

COVID-19 appointments will be available to book via your GP surgery, through the NHS App and website, or by calling 119.

You can not book an appointment via our Community Hospitals, NHS Somerset or our PALs line.

If a suitable appointment isn't available at first, please keep trying. We are adding appointments daily. We'd like to reassure you that there will be enough appointments for everyone eligible to get their vaccines this winter.

If you or someone you know is housebound and waiting to to hear from the NHS about the Covid-19 vaccination, we want to reassure you that the NHS will be in touch to arrange your visit. You don't need to get in touch with us unless you are concerned you may not be registered as housebound. If you are newly housebound, and do not think you are registered as housebound please contact PALs and we can pass your details to the covid-19 vaccination housebound team.

Hospital waiting lists - travel to other hospitals

NHS England announced on 31 October 2023, that any patient who has been waiting longer than 40 weeks and does not have an appointment within the next eight weeks will be contacted by their hospital via letter, text, or email, as announced by the NHS and government earlier this year.

You do not need to do anything. Offers will be sent to eligible patients who will then be able to submit their details including how far they are willing to travel – 50 miles, 100 miles or nationally. NHS teams can then identify whether any alternative hospitals have capacity to see them sooner.

Other healthcare providers – GPs or hospitals

If your concerns or queries are about a GP practice, dental practice, optician or pharmacy you will need to contact either the individual practice or the NHS England Customer Contact Centre:

Telephone: 03003 112233

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

Write to: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch B97 9PT

If your concerns or queries are about services provided in hospitals by other local health trusts, please click the links below for their PALS information and contact them directly:

Yeovil District Hospital

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (Includes Musgrove Park Hospital, community and mental health services)

Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre

Somerset Doctors Urgent Care

Royal United Hospital

Weston General Hospital

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