General NHS services
Treatment and care
Under the NHS you are entitled to free treatment. Prescription charges vary depending on where you live in the UK. You can find out more abou these and other areas where you may be entitled to help with costs by visiting our financial help section.
Interpreting services
- If your first language is not English, you may ask for:
- Interpreters who will translate for you
- Link workers who an help you through your course of treatment; or
- Advocates who will represent your views and wishes.
Even if you have a family member who does speak English, you may prefer a trained interpreter to go to your appointments and translate for you. You should contact your hospital beforehand so they can arrange an interpreter for you. You can find out more about cancer information in other languages by visiting our information in languages other than English page.
Your hospital
Your hospital will be part of an NHS hospital trust, which is usually a group of hospitals in a town or city. Many trusts have their services spread over different sites and you may have to go to different hospital sites for treatment.
Patient advice and liaison service (PALS)
Your hospital should have a Patients Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) which can provide information and advice about the hospital and where you can get support. You can also contact them if you experience any problems, and they should help you to sort out any concerns you have about your hospital care.
If you are not happy with your experience in hospital it is important to let the hospital know. If you have particular concerns, you can speak to someone involved in your care, such as a doctor, nurse or ward manager. They will try to sort out the problem immediately; otherwise someone from the Patients Advice and Liaison Service at the hospital should be able to help you. If you do want to make a complaint, they will be able to explain the hospital’s complaints procedure. If you would rather talk to someone outside the hospital, NHS Direct can advise you.
Link:Patient Advice and Liason Service (PALS)
Produced by:Patients Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, has been introduced to ensure that the NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends, and answers their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible.
PALS also helps the NHS to improve services by listening to what matters to patients and their loved ones and making changes, when appropriate.
Page last edited: 25 November 2011
