Assaults on hospital staff.

Dear Ms Melissa Ittoo

I am writing to acknowledge your request for information under the Freedom
of Information (FOI) Act. Your request was received in our office on:
04/05/2010

We are considering your request and will reply more fully in due course.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, we have 20 working days in which to
respond.

Some information, however, might be withheld due to exemptions which are
allowed for by the Act. If this is the case, we will tell you that we have
withheld information and why.

If we can be of any further assistance to you in the meantime, please do
not hesitate to contact the Trust at: [BSUH request email]

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust will make every effort
to respond to your request if possible. Our main aim and priority,
however, is to provide the best care possible to our patients. Our Trust
will not respond to any requests which are designed to distract staff from
their responsibilities. We appreciate your understanding.

Yours sincerely
FOI Team BSUH

This electronic message contains information from Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which may be privileged or confidential. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual(s) or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify us immediately at [email address].

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Dear Ms Melissa Ittoo

Thank you for your recent request for information under the Freedom of
Information (FOI) Act 2000.

We are now in a position to respond to your request.

Your request:

Please could you give me the numbers of incidents of assault or abuse on
hospital staff within the last five years?

I would be most grateful if you could break these figures down by each
individual year, and if you could specify whether the abuse was physical
or verbal.

Our response:

Year 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9
Type of Physical Non-physical Physical Non-physical Physical Non-physical Physical Non-physical Physical Non-physical
assault Assault Assault Assault Assault Assault Assault Assault Assault Assault Assault
Total 168 1020 80 707 85 233 91 253 135 429

Please note that figures for 2009/10 are not yet available. If you would
still like these please let us know and we will provide you with them as
soon as they become available.

Please note that any information provided by this Trust is for your
personal use and not for resale or use for profit in any way under the
Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

If you require clarification or if we can be of any further assistance to
you, please do not hesitate to contact us at: [BSUH request email]

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your enquiry, you have the
right to appeal. The address of our FOI Review Department is:

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
FOI Review
Central Information Unit - D Block
Brighton General Hospital
Elm Grove
Brighton BN2 3EW

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome of your appeal, you can
write to:

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545700

We hope that you find the information provided helpful.

Yours sincerely
FOI Team BSUH

This electronic message contains information from Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which may be privileged or confidential. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual(s) or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify us immediately at [email address].

This Trust is committed to openness and transparency, and this commitment is supported by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Under the Act, any recorded information held by the Trust, including this message, unless legally exempt, may be subject to public disclosure.

Activity and use of the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust E-mail system is monitored to secure its effective operation and for other lawful business purposes. Communications using this system will also be monitored for viruses and other harmful material.