The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), also known as the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) in Scotland, is a National Health Service body created to provide advice and support to NHS patients and their relatives and carers.
The scheme was announced in the NHS Plan 2000.
Pilot schemes were set up in 2001, with full nationwide implementation complete by 2002.
The functions of PALS are to: The service can, for instance, act as a first point of contact for complaints, as well as providing information on NHS services and available treatment options.
[2] In some areas, PALS also provide complaint handling for hospitals.