New Patient Advice and Liaison Service Coordinator for Sligo University Hospital

Sligo University Hospital (SUH) is delighted to announce the appointment of Lorraine Cooney to the role of Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Coordinator. Lorraine, a native of County Roscommon, has over 15 years clinical experience as a Radiation Therapist, and for the past two years, she worked as the PALS Coordinator at Mayo University Hospital, prior to her recent appointment.

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service Coordinator acts as the main contact between patients, their families, carers and the hospital. They ensure that the patient voice is heard either through the patient directly or through a nominated representative.

If a patient wants to provide feedback or make a comment about the hospital and the care they received, the PALS Coordinator will assist them in doing so, or refer them to the appropriate person who will be able to assist them further.

Speaking about her appointment Lorraine said, “Building on the foundations laid by the previous PALS coordinator, I am committed to fostering a culture of open communication and partnership with our patients and their families or carers. I appreciate that being in hospital can be a difficult and vulnerable time, and I hope that the PALS role serves as a helpful point of contact for support and guidance. Patients are at the centre of everything we do, and ensuring that the services we provide are responsive to the needs of our patients is a primary focus of PALS. Patient feedback is invaluable in highlighting the lived in patient experience in our services, and I will channel all feedback via PALS to ensure the patient voice is embedded in the day to day operations, and future planning in the hospital. I am really excited to join the team at SUH, and I look forward to working in partnership with both service users and colleagues as we strive to continually improve the patient experience in SUH.”

Grainne McCann, Hospital Manager said, “We are delighted to welcome Lorraine to the role. PALS Coordinators have a very important function as they help to embed the voice of the patient in the workings of the hospital. Patients are at the centre of everything we do and through the PALS service we can learn more about the patient experience and put plans in place to make necessary improvements.”