Patient Advice and Liaison Services (Hansard, 20 November 2003)

§ Mr. Colman
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England have functioning patient advice and liaison services. [140085]

§ Ms Rosie Winterton
The Department does not collect data on the number of patient advice and liaison services (PALS). Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for monitoring the implementation of PALS and in February 2003 they reported to the Department that 98 per cent. of NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) had an active PALS. In responding to the recent Health Select Committee Public Expenditure Inquiry in October 2003, the SHAs established that, of the 15 NHS trusts and PCTs that did not have an active PALS at the time of the February report, 14 now have a PALS in place. The remaining trust currently provides a limited service, which is expected to be fully operational by December 2003.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the Department's definition of an active Patient Advice and Liaison Service. [140105]

§ Ms Rosie Winterton
An active Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is a service identified by its trust as working to deliver the published core PALS service standards.
NHS trusts and primary care trusts are responsible for establishing PALS that deliver the core PALS service standards published by the Department. Trusts are responsible for deciding how to deliver the service in a way that responds to local needs and strategic health authorities monitor trust performance against those standards.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will(a) collate and (b) publish information on the implementation of patient advice and liaison service, including (i) the percentage of NHS trusts and primary care trusts that have an active PALS and (ii) monitoring of the national PALS standards. [140113]

§ Ms Rosie Winterton
The Department does not collect data on the number of patient advice and liaison services (PALS). Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for monitoring the implementation of PALS and in February 2003 they reported to the Department that 98 per cent. of NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) had an active PALS. In responding to the recent Health Select Committee Public Expenditure Inquiry in October 2003, the SHAs established that, of the 15 NHS trusts and PCTs that did not have an active PALS at the time of the February report, 14 now have a PALS in place. The remaining trust currently provides a limited service, which is expected to be fully operational by December 2003.
SHAs are responsible for monitoring trust performance against the published standards. The Department published the core PALS service standards in January 2002 ("Supporting the implementation of patient advice and liaison services: A resource pack"). These were reviewed and revised in July 2003.