FOI: Liaison Psychiatry Referral Policy

The request was successful.

Dear Essex Partnership University 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.

FOI (ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Thank you for your email. 

You will receive an acknowledgement of your request shortly.

In the meantime, you can view a detailed log of previous requests
received and download responses provided by the Trust via our publication
scheme by selecting the following
link; [1]https://eput.nhs.uk/publication-documents/

The publication scheme provides you, as a member of the public, with a
guide and description of information that is routinely published by Essex
Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.  

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FOI (ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Dear George

The Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Freedom of Information Service received your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

You requested information, as outlined below.

The Act allows 20 working days for us to respond to your request so you can expect a response by 07 January 2020. We will of course make every effort to respond sooner if possible. A fee may be charged to cover postage and photocopying costs.

You should also be aware that the Act does allow, in certain cases, for the 20 working day time period to be extended. We will notify you as soon as possible if there is a need to extend the time limit for responding to your request.

The Trust has a statutory duty to provide advice and assistance to applicants. If you have any questions now, or during the processing of your request, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind Regards

Legal Services
Freedom of Information / Subject Access Requests Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust The Lodge | Lodge Approach | Runwell | Wickford | Essex | SS11 7XX
E-mail: [email address] (Freedom of Information)
E-mail: [email address] (Subject Access Request)
Telephone: 01268 407753

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BROOKS, Lara (ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Dr Gillett,

Further to our acknowledgement below I write to advise that there was an error on the date the response is due back to you, this should be the 10th January 2020. Please accept my sincere apologies for this oversight and any inconvenience this may have caused.

We will of course make every effort to respond sooner if possible.

Kind regards

Lara Brooks

Legal Services Manager
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Legal Department, 3rd Floor, The Lodge, Lodge Approach, Runwell, Wickford, Essex, SS11 7XX
Email: [email address]
Telephone: 01268 407724

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FOI (ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Dr George Gillett / Dr William Lee,

I write in regards to your recent FOI request. Unfortunately it is taking longer than we anticipated to collate your response. We therefore with your kind agreement request an extension to 24 January 2020.

We understand the delays may be frustrating but please do be assured that we are making every effort to respond to you at the earliest possible opportunity.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay.

Kind regards

Legal Services
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
The Lodge, Runwell Approach, Wickford, Essex, SS11 7XX
T: 01702 538 161
e: [email address] | [email address] | [email address] | [email address]

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FOI (ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

3 Attachments

Dear George,

I am writing in response to your request for information, made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please find attached a response from EPUT.

If you are dissatisfied with the response you have received, you have the right to request a review of our decision or make a complaint about how your request has been handled. Your request should be made within 2 months of receipt of this letter and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt. Any such request received after 2 months will only be considered at the discretion of the organisation.

If our decision is unchanged following a review and you remain dissatisfied with this, you then have the right to make a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Kind regards

Legal Services
Freedom of Information
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust The Lodge | Lodge Approach | Runwell | Wickford | Essex | SS11 7XX
Telephone: 01268 407753 / 01268 739 122
E-mail: [email address] (Freedom of Information)

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