I WOULD like to thank Mr Best for his kind comments about the Great Western Hospital.

I am delighted he has been so impressed by our care and has such a high opinion of our staff.

However, I feel he may have misunderstood the role of the PALS service. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service is not a quango but an integral part of the hospital.

The team comprises both nurses and non-nursing staff.

Our role is to act as a point of contact for many patient queries and part of our role is to help people get the most from our services and to seek improvements where appropriate.

Complaints do form a part of our work and we have encouraged patients and visitors to contact us so we can improve our services.

Last year we dealt with more than 1,500 inquiries and almost one in 10 was a compliment.

Only 0.1 per cent of our patients complained during the year.

Patient Advice AND Liaison Service

Great Western Hospital