FOI: Liaison Psychiatry Referral Policy

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Dear Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust,

We are a group of clinicians & researchers carrying out a national evaluation of liaison psychiatry service provision in NHS hospitals across England. As part of this project, we are submitting FOI requests to all NHS Mental Health Trusts to ask about local policy and practice. We kindly request the following information as per the FOI Act 2000.

Our enquiries relate to the provision of liaison psychiatry services in adult general hospitals, including patients in inpatient wards or A&E departments. This research is conducted as part of an Academic Foundation Programme research post. No specific grant was awarded for this project. All findings will be de-identified from Hospitals or Trusts before publication.

1. At which general hospital(s) does your Trust provide liaison psychiatry services?

For each of the above hospitals, please answer the questions below:

2. Is there a written policy about prioritising patients who have been referred to liaison psychiatry, or determining which referrals to accept? (If No, please move to Question 6).

3. If so, is this policy made available to all (psychiatry and non-psychiatry) clinicians working within the general hospital? If so, please specify where (e.g. Trust intranet)?

4. Please attach the policy document if possible. We aim to extract only certain information from the policy document, so if the complete policy document cannot be sent, please send the following information:

a. Details on which locations this policy covers and which patients (i.e. inpatient ward/A&E/referrals) the policy covers.

b. Details on any guidelines to prioritise or determine which referrals to accept. Specifically:
i. Patients should be medically fit for discharge prior to review
ii. Patients should be medically fit for assessment prior to review
iii. No restriction applied; all patients are reviewed
iv. Any other methods used to prioritise patient referrals (please specify)

c. Whether the policy states which professional group (e.g. psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse) should review the referral and/or assess the patient? If so, please specify.

d. When was the policy last reviewed or updated?

5. When (if at all) was local practice last audited against this policy and what were the findings?

6. At your Trust, how do doctors refer patients to liaison psychiatry for review (e.g. by telephone, by electronic referral system, by email, by fax)?

Many thanks for your time. Please do not hesitate to get in touch by email if you have any questions or clarifications. We look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Dr George Gillett, 
Academic Foundation Programme Doctor
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford 

Dr William Lee, 
Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter Medical School.
Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Devon Partnership NHS Trust.

Freedom of Information, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

Dear Dr Gillett,

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 074-1920

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response attached.

Kind regards,

Danielle Simons
Legal Officer (Legal Services)
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Edward Jenner Court, Pioneer Avenue, Gloucester Business Park, Brockworth, GL3 4AW
Telephone: 0300 421 8357   Email: [email address]   Website: www.ghc.nhs.uk

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Dear Freedom of Information,

Many thanks for your reply.

Please could I clarify whether you, as the service providing liaison psychiatry services have a written policy about prioritising patients who have been referred to liaison psychiatry, or determining which referrals to accept? (as per question 2 of my request)?

If yes, please could you respond to the rest of the questions.
If no, please could you confirm that you do not have such a policy.

Many thanks,

George Gillett

Dear Freedom of Information,

Please could I again follow-up on this request, specifically to the points listed below:

Please could I clarify whether you, as the service providing liaison psychiatry services have a written policy about prioritising patients who have been referred to liaison psychiatry, or determining which referrals to accept? (as per question 2 of my request)?

If yes, please could you respond to the rest of the questions.
If no, please could you confirm that you do not have such a policy.

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely,

George Gillett

Freedom of Information, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust



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Freedom of Information, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

Dear Dr Gillett,

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 074-1920

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response attached.

Kind regards,

Danielle Simons
Legal Services Officer (Legal Services)
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Edward Jenner Court, Pioneer Avenue, Gloucester Business Park, Brockworth, GL3 4AW
Telephone: 0300 421 8357   Email: [email address]   Website: www.ghc.nhs.uk

show quoted sections

Dear Freedom of Information,

Many thanks for your response. Given that the policy you mention is in draft, please could you provide a copy of your most recent policy (i.e. before this revision process started?) From your response you suggest that a policy is currently being used by the liaison psychiatry team (is this correct?) and if so, please could you share this policy?

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely,

George Gillett

Freedom of Information, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

3 Attachments

Dear Dr Gillett,

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 074-1920

Our apologies in the delay - Please find attached documents as requested in your below email.

Kind regards,

Danielle Simons
Legal Services Officer (Legal Services)
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Edward Jenner Court, Pioneer Avenue, Gloucester Business Park, Brockworth, GL3 4AW
Telephone: 0300 421 8357  Email: [email address]   Website: www.ghc.nhs.uk

show quoted sections