We are currently receiving a high volume of enquiries.
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) response times
We assess all enquiries that we receive each day and prioritise dealing with the most urgent. It may take us sometime to respond to other non-urgent enquiries.
When calling PALS, you will likely experience a longer than usual wait on the telephone. Our email address is monitored throughout the day and provides a good alternative, if the phone line is busy.
We are working hard to reduce these waits and all efforts are being made to respond to enquiries. We are prioritising responses for those people who have been waiting a long time for a reply and also new contacts that require urgent action.
Our staff are here to support you and to provide advice, and they understand that it is frustrating for you not to have your concerns addressed in a more timely manner. We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time and thank you for treating our staff with kindness and respect.
Please see further helpful information below, which may answer your question or help you to reach the correct department.
Appointment queries
If you are making contact about an appointment, in the first instance, please contact the number on your appointment letter or contact the booking centre.
Inpatients
If you have a concern regarding someone who is currently an inpatient with us, ask to speak to the senior sister/charge nurse or the matron on the ward.
Bereavement
We would like to express our sympathy and condolences if you are contacting us following a bereavement. We know this will be a very difficult time, as there are many practical matters to arrange. Should you need to speak with the Bereavement Office, you can call the relevant office on the telephone numbers listed below. If the team are unable to take your call, please leave a message on the answer machine and someone will call you back as soon as possible.
- 0121 424 7404 (Good Hope Hospital Bereavement Office)
- 0121 424 1476 (Heartlands Hospital Bereavement Office)
- 0121 371 2450 (Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Bereavement Office)
- 0121 424 1476 (Solihull Hospital Bereavement Office)
Lost property
We have a policy in place to ensure that all steps are taken to prevent property loss. Patients are discouraged from bringing excessive amounts of cash and valuables into hospital. On admission, patients are informed that we can only be responsible for cash and valuables that are taken into safe keeping. If a patient wishes to keep their valuables and cash with them, a disclaimer form is usually completed to document this. If any of your property is lost or misplaced whilst you are in hospital ,please contact the ward you were staying on or department you visited, so staff can search for the items and try locate them.
Request access to health records
To access your medical records information, or to make a request on behalf of someone else, please visit the request to access health records page.
Visiting
Our hospitals care for vulnerable patients and continue to be high-risk locations for COVID-19. Please see our website for the most up to date visiting guidance.
How to raise a concern
Being a patient, or a relative, friend or carer of a patient in hospital can be difficult and stressful. Our staff are here to do their best to make your experience as worry-free as possible. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you expect and you might need some extra help or support. In these situations it's usually best to ask to speak to the person in charge of the ward or department. They are often best placed to offer a quick and effective solution.
Further help
If you've spoken to the person in charge and you're still not happy, or if you're not comfortable raising the issue with them, we can still help. You can speak to our Patient Relations team via our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
To help with your issue, we need the following information:
- Patient's name, address and date of birth
- Hospital number or NHS number, if known
- Ward/department name
- Your contact details
- Summary of your concerns and the outcome you would like
Please note that if you're not the patient, we will need to seek the patient's consent to discuss the concerns with you.
How to contact PALS
Please give us a call or send us an email.
Please note that email is not guaranteed to be secure. Any personal information (for example date of birth, address or NHS number) is sent via email at your own risk.
If you would prefer not to send personal information by email, please send us an outline of the nature of your feedback along with your phone number and we will call you back.
If you require interpreting services, including British Sign Language (BSL), we are happy to provide this to help you submit your feedback and understand our response.
Still unhappy?
If you've spoken to the ward/department and/or PALS, and you're still unhappy about the situation, you can make a complaint.
Last reviewed: 27 July 2023