Because of the local nature of the service, the Department does not keep central data relating to patient advice and liaison service (PALS) operational activities, including the number of PALS workers in each national health service trust in England.
The following table summarises the number of patients treated per year by the NHS in England over the last five years, and is taken from the NHS annual report 2004-05.
2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Total General and acute admissions 8,944 8,997 9,269 9,719 10,050 46,979 Geriatric admissions 359 347 357 357 368 1,788 Maternity admissions 896 877 924 970 1,000 4,667 New out-patients (first attendances) 12,466 12,613 12,879 13,431 13,371 64,760 New accident and emergency (first attendances) 12,953 12,901 13,253 15,313 16,712 71,132 Yearly total 35,618, 35,735 36,682 39,790 41,501 — Note: Figures relate to thousands
Because of the local nature of the service, the Department does not keep central data relating to patient advice and liaison service (PALS) operational activities. However, one of the core features of PALS is to be identifiable and accessible to patients, their carers, friends and families and strategic health authorities regularly evaluate PALS against this criterion.