Complaints At Pinderfields Hospital: What You Need To Know

If you have a complaint about Pinderfields Hospital, there are several ways to get in touch. You can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) via email, phone, or post. PALS also provides a leaflet with information on how to file a complaint. Additionally, you can contact the Health and Disability Commissioner's office online, by phone, or by writing to them. If you are an NHS or Social Care staff member, in or out-patient, family member, carer, or visitor, you can talk to an advisor online or through a national phone service.

Contacting Pinderfields Hospital

Pinderfields Hospital is located on Aberford Road in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and can be contacted via several means. The hospital's postal address is Pinderfields Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 4DG.

For general enquiries, the hospital can be reached by phone at 01924 542972. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can be contacted via email at <[email protected]> or via telephone at 01924 542972 or 01924 543907 to provide feedback or make an enquiry. PALS may also be able to direct you to helpful resources, such as their leaflet on how to file a complaint.

If you are looking to book or change a hospital appointment, you can call the national Choose and Book appointment line at 0345 60 88 888. For Acute Services, the dedicated elderly care facilities are based on Ward 41 at Pinderfields (Pinderfields Acute Care of the Elderly or PACE Unit) and Ward 9 at Dewsbury and District Hospital. The Acute Services phone number is 01924 512266, and the service is open Monday to Friday, 8 am-6 pm.

If you are looking to file a complaint, you can do so online, by phone at 0800 11 22 33, or by writing to the Health and Disability Commissioner's office. You also have the right to take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), which is independent of local authorities and care providers.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, or PALS, is available to patients, their relatives, carers, and friends. It is an NHS service that aims to answer questions and address concerns as quickly as possible. PALS also helps the NHS improve its services by listening to patients and their loved ones and implementing changes when appropriate.

The Mid Yorkshire Patient Liaison Team office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm, and you can also email the team at any time. Here are the contact details:

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 0800 0525 270 (Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group)
• Address: Bowling Old Lane, Bradford, BD5 7JR

The PALS team is dedicated to listening to your concerns confidentially and providing you with the information and advice you need to resolve them. They are a great first point of contact if you have any questions or concerns regarding NHS services, such as outpatient appointments or hospital services.

PALS offers a confidential space to discuss health-related matters and provide support and guidance. They are committed to ensuring that the NHS listens to and addresses the concerns of its patients and those close to them.

Making a complaint online

If you want to make a complaint about Pinderfields Hospital, there are several options available to you.

Firstly, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) via email at or via telephone on 01924 542972 or 01924 543907. You can provide feedback or make an enquiry through this service.

Additionally, Pinderfields Hospital is part of the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust. The Trust encourages patients, family members, carers, and visitors to contact their office for information about accessibility options and to speak to an advisor online or through their national phone service.

You can also make a complaint online, whether you are complaining about the care you have received or on behalf of someone else. The process typically involves filling out an online form with your personal details, details of your complaint, and any relevant dates and locations. You may also be able to upload any supporting documents or evidence.

It is important to note that you have the right to take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) if you are not satisfied with the response from the hospital. The LGO is independent of local authorities and care providers.

Calling the hospital

If you need to complain about Pinderfields Hospital, there are several ways to get in touch. You can call, write, or go online.

If you want to make a complaint over the phone, you can call the main hospital switchboard on 01924 542972. This number is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also call the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 01924 542972 or 01924 543907 to provide feedback or make an enquiry. The PALS line is open Monday to Friday, 8 am-6 pm.

If you are a member of staff at the hospital, you can also call the national phone service provided by Citizens Advice.

If you are complaining about care you have received, or on behalf of someone else, you can call the Health and Disability Commissioner's office on 0800 11 22 33.

Other ways to complain

You can also write to the hospital at the following address:

Pinderfields Hospital

Aberford Road

Wakefield

West Yorkshire

WF1 4DG

You can also complain online, either via the Health and Disability Commissioner's website or by contacting Citizens Advice to talk to an advisor.

Independent review with the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO)

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO or LGOSCO) investigates allegations of maladministration that have caused injustice to the complainant. It provides a free, independent, and impartial dispute resolution service. The LGO investigates most council services, including some areas of housing, planning, education, social services, council tax, housing benefits, and highways. It also investigates registered adult social care services, regardless of whether there has been council input into the care.

The LGO will usually only get involved after a council's complaints procedure has been exhausted. If the LGO finds that the body being investigated acted with fault, causing an injustice to the complainant, it will recommend a remedy to rectify the situation. The remedies are aimed at putting the person back in the position they would have been in if the fault had not occurred. The LGO also works to prevent injustice and improve local public services by issuing advice on good administrative practices and offering training in complaint handling to councils and care providers.

While the LGO can hear complaints of maladministration stemming from the actions of individual councillors and council employees, it can only seek to remedy the injustice and cannot discipline the person responsible unless they are a member of a professional body, such as the Law Society. In such cases, only the individual's employer can discipline them.

If you are dissatisfied with how an LGO investigator handles your complaint, you can follow the LGO's complaints procedure. The LGO will try to resolve the issue quickly and directly with the relevant person or section. If this does not resolve the issue, a senior manager will consider the complaint. It is important to note that LGO case decisions cannot be appealed directly to any external authority. However, judicial review can be sought through the high court if the ombudsman acts contrary to the governing laws or if the decision is deemed Wednesbury unreasonable. If the challenge is successful, costs can be claimed. Judges do not overturn LGO decisions but can require the ombudsman to reconsider.

Frequently asked questions