This is the first time in England that an NHS region has run a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Awareness week. This idea was born out of the yearly Essex-wide PALS Awareness Week that has been happening over the past four years. All over the region NHS organisations have been finding innovative and engaging ways to raise public, patient and staff awareness of the work that each PALS team offer.

The North Essex Partnership NHS Trust (NEPFT) offering mental health services will be celebrating the East of England PALS Awareness week (8-12 June 2009). The Trust PALS Network will be raising the profile of PALS within their staff teams and on Trust sites across north Essex. Stands have been placed outside Chelmsford Library during the week leading up to PALS Awareness Week and will be in High Chelmer Shopping centre in Chelmsford from 8^th to the 11^th June. A SOS bus will be travelling round the Colchester and Tendring area visiting schools and town centres promoting PALS on Friday 12^th June. Come and visit the stand at High Chelmer Shopping Centre, or the bus in Clacton Town Centre (in Pier Avenue between 11.30-1pm) or outside Colchester Town Hall (between 4-5pm).

Andrew Geldard, acting Chief Executive of the Trust said: “I am hugely proud of the work of my PALS team and it’s really important that they raise the profile of their work. PALS staff are key to our organisation because they provide confidential advice, information and support to service users, carers and relatives. They also help to answer any questions that people have about our services, signpost people appropriately and most importantly listen to people and resolve their concerns quickly and professionally.”

Keith S Pearson JP, Chairman of NHS East of England, said: “I am really excited that the East of England is leading the country in promoting PALS. Our regional ambition is to provide the best health service in the country, and to do so we need to get patient experience right. PALS have a really important role to play in this regard, because in the NHS they are often the first port of call for people who have queries, worries or concerns about the services they receive. PALS teams are hugely professional in helping people and reflect the values of the NHS Constitution perfectly.”

To contact your mental health PALS team call 01245 546433, email or write to PALS, Trust HQ, Stapleford House, 103 Stapleford Close, Chelmsford, CM2 0QX