Public health funerals for Covid patients

The request was successful.

Hi there

This is a Freedom of Information request regarding public health funerals the trust has undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic. Could you please tell me:

1. How many public health funerals the trust has undertaken for patients who have died of Covid (within 28 days of the first positive test) with no known relatives or next of kin.

I'm looking for information relating to the period between March 2 2020 and March 2 2021. Can the information please be broken down by ethnicity, age and gender for each patient? If doing this exceeds the cost limit and the scope needs narrowing, could ethnicity be prioritised, followed by age, please?

2. How many Covid deaths (within 28 days of the first positive test) have been recorded by the trust between March 2 2020 and March 2 2021.

3. How much a public health funeral typically costs the trust, and if possible, how much has been spent on public health funerals by the trust between March 2 2020 and March 2 2021.

4. The relationship between the trust and the local authority/authorities when it comes to public health funerals and the processes involved in deciding who is responsible for arranging them.

5. What is provided by the trust at a public health funeral.

Yours faithfully,
Sam Gelder

SWBH-GM-FOIREQUESTS (SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST), Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Dear Sam,

Freedom of Information Request F21/0061

Thank you for your freedom of information request received on 04 May 2021.

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You will receive a response within the statutory timescale of 20 working days after the date of receipt as defined by the Act, subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third party. In some circumstances we may be unable to achieve this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised timescale at the earliest opportunity.

In some cases there may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment from you. If you choose not to make payment then your request will remain unanswered.

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.
Your request for information may be delayed due to urgent operational responses to dealing with Public Health priorities.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to responding to your request and will respond as soon as we are able.

Trust's across the country have refocused resources to assist frontline staff to combat Covid-19 during this difficult period. The Trust will not be in a position to respond to certain FOI requests due to the increasing operational pressures.

Please could you confirm whether you still wish to have this processed as an FOI request, in light of the already burdensome situation on the NHS?

Thank you in advance of your support.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Office
: [Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust request email]
+ Trust Headquarters, Health and Wellbeing Centre, Sandwell General
+ Hospital, Lyndon, West Bromwich B71 4HJ

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ISLAM, Mohammed (SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST), Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

1 Attachment

Dear Sam,

 

Freedom of Information Request F21/0061

 

Thank you for your freedom of information request received on 03 May 2021.

 

Request:

 

This is a Freedom of Information request regarding public health funerals
the trust has undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic. Could you please
tell me:

 

1. How many public health funerals the trust has undertaken for patients
who have died of Covid (within 28 days of the first positive test) with no
known relatives or next of kin.

 

I'm looking for information relating to the period between March 2 2020
and March 2 2021. Can the information please be broken down by ethnicity,
age and gender for each patient? If doing this exceeds the cost limit and
the scope needs narrowing, could ethnicity be prioritised, followed by
age, please?

 

2. How many Covid deaths (within 28 days of the first positive test) have
been recorded by the trust between March 2 2020 and March 2 2021.

 

3. How much a public health funeral typically costs the trust, and if
possible, how much has been spent on public health funerals by the trust
between March 2 2020 and March 2 2021.

 

4. The relationship between the trust and the local authority/authorities
when it comes to public health funerals and the processes involved in
deciding who is responsible for arranging them.

 

5. What is provided by the trust at a public health funeral.

 

 

Response:

 1. How many public health funerals the trust has undertaken for patients
who have died of Covid (within 28 days of the first positive test)
with no known relatives or next of kin.

10 Covid deaths

 

I'm looking for information relating to the period between March 2 2020
and March 2 2021. Can the information please be broken down by ethnicity,
age and gender for each patient? If doing this exceeds the cost limit and
the scope needs narrowing, could ethnicity be prioritised, followed by
age, please?

 

16 – White: age range: 52 -90 ( 5 female) ( 11 male)

 

1 – Asian: age range: 44 (1 male)

 

1 – Black: age range: 77 (1 female)

 

3 - Unknown age range: 61-68  (3 male)

 

 

2. How many Covid deaths (within 28 days of the first positive test) have
been recorded by the trust between March 2 2020 and March 2 2021.

Covid deaths (within 28 days of the first positive test) = 1256

 

3. How much a public health funeral typically costs the trust, and if
possible, how much has been spent on public health funerals by the trust
between March 2 2020 and March 2 2021.

 

(Please note our costings are recorded from 1 April to 31 March each
year).

 

Birmingham City Council – charge £1346 per funeral.

 

Total for April 20 – March 21 = £53,720.

 

Sandwell Council – charge £1633 per funeral

 

Total for April 20 – March 21 = £47,401

 

4.     The relationship between the trust and the local
authority/authorities when it comes to public health funerals and the
processes involved in deciding who is responsible for arranging them.

Contract Funeral  arranged by Local Authority. Initiated by a referral
being sent to them.

 

5. What is provided by the trust at a public health funeral.

Nothing

 

I hope that the information provided in this email answers your query.
However, if you are dissatisfied with the response please contact the
Trust in the first instance with the details of your complaint so the
Trust can conduct an internal review. Please address such requests to
[1][Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust request email] or in writing to Kam Dhami, Director
of Governance, Trust Headquarters, Sandwell Hospital, Lyndon, West
Bromwich, B71 4HJ. Alternatively, if you remain unhappy with the outcome
you can appeal directly to the Information  Commissioner at the following
address: [2]www.ico.gov.uk

 

Kind regards

 

Freedom of Information Office

: [Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust request email]

+    Trust Headquarters, Health and Wellbeing Centre, Sandwell General
Hospital, Lyndon, West Bromwich B71 4HJ

[3]cid:image001.png@01D5792F.B5A04120  

In the interests of the environment please think carefully before printing
this email

 

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