Your experience is important to us
Raising a concern with PALS, or making a complaint, will not negatively affect your care and will not be recorded in your medical records.
If you are raising concerns for someone else, we may need to contact them to make sure they agree to you acting on their behalf.
How PALS can help
- Listen to your concerns or complaints.
- Liaise with the relevant staff to try to resolve your concerns as quickly as possible.
- Advise you on the NHS complaints procedure and how to contact the Complaints Team if a formal complaint is needed.
- Help you get support and advice about your care or experience at any of our hospitals or services. PALS is a confidential service.
Raising a concern
In the first instance, you may wish to raise your concerns directly with a senior member of staff on the ward or in the department, to get some immediate support. If you have tried this, and would like to speak to someone who is not involved in your care, you can contact PALS.
If your concern is about a patient who is currently on one of our wards, we will escalate your concerns to the senior nurse or senior management and ask them to speak with you.
Making a formal complaint
If your concern relates to an event which has already happened and requires an in-depth investigation, you may wish to raise a formal complaint. In line with NHS Complaint Regulations, you should do this within 12 months of the event that caused you to complain, or within 12 months of learning of the problem.
You can submit a formal complaint by email to complaints@mft.nhs.uk, by calling 0161 276 4509, or in writing to The Complaints Team, Cobbett House, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL.
Independent support to raise concerns
VoiceAbility is a free and confidential independent complaints advocacy service that can help you make a complaint about NHS services. You can contact VoiceAbility by email at helpline@voiceability.org or by calling 0300 303 1660.
Using AI to help raise a complaint
We know that raising a complaint can be difficult and that many people are using AI tools to help write their complaint. Although AI tools can help organise your thoughts, AI-generated complaints can often be complex, lengthy, and may include inaccurate medical terms or legal jargon.
We would like to hear about your experience in your own words. Simple, clear language that explains what happened to you will always be more helpful than complicated, formal writing. If you are having difficulty raising your complaint, a member of the Complaints Team can arrange a telephone call or a face-to-face meeting to discuss your experience and summarise the issues.
Contacting PALS in other languages or BSL
Please let a member of staff know if you require an interpreter to contact PALS, or to raise a complaint, so this can be arranged. Our PALS leaflet is also available in the languages below.