Child Post Mortems
Dear Health and Social Care Board for Northern Ireland
I write about information I have recently seen in the press regarding child post mortems being transferred to Alder Hey, Liverpool.
Questions-
1. Please provide minutes of all meetings held by the HSCB in relation to this decision
2. Please provide details of all recruitment efforts made to secure a child pathologist for Northern Ireland.
3. Please provide details as to how the decision was reached to use Alder Hey as the hospital to carry out these services.
4. Did the HSCB consider using services in the Republic of Ireland to facilitate these services.
5. What was the cost of carrying out child post mortem services for Northern Ireland in 2017.
6. What is the estimated cost of carrying out child post mortem services for Northern Ireland in 2019.
7. Will the existing staff be retained in their positions at the Belfast Trust Mortuary following the transfer of service. If any changes please outline what changes will be made.
8. How will the children be transported from Northern Ireland to Alder Hey Hospital.
9. Will the bodies of the children be accompanied at all times whilst in transit.
10. Will the bodies at any stage of the journey be treated as cargo or anything other than dead children’s bodies. (Ie) specimens / blood samples etc.
11. What is the expected time from death of a child to the body being returned to the family.
12. Will families be facilitied if they wish to travel with the body of their child. If so what arrangements are in place.
13. Will any samples of body parts that need to be retained be held at Alder Hey or Belfast for analysis.
14. Please give details of what will happen to these samples after they are finished with.
I am aware that all these details might not be held in your domain. Therefore I have copied this request to Belfast Trust also.
Yours faithfully,
Donna Benson
Dear Health and Social Care Board for Northern Ireland,
Can you please confirm you got my request for information?
Yours faithfully,
Donna Benson
“This email is covered by the disclaimer found at the end of the message.”
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Dear Ms Benson,
Ref: Freedom of Information Request: No.FOI 956 18
Thank you for your request for information. Your request was received by
the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) on 16^th November 2018. Your
request will be processed under the terms of the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, within the statutory timescale of 20 working days.
The leaflet attached is provided for your information and tells you about
the legislation and our procedures for dealing with requests for
information.
If you have any queries about this communication, please do not hesitate
to contact me. It would be helpful if you could quote the reference
number above in any future communications relating to this request for
information.
I trust you find this helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Sent by David Johnston on behalf of
Mr Peter Moran
Assistant Information Governance Manager
HSCB
Western Office
“This email is covered by the disclaimer found at the end of the message.”
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Dear Ms Benson
I write to advise that I am in the process of finalising my response to
your request for information, but would request that you consider
providing me with an alternative contact address or email account to send
the information to, for the reason set out below.
I recognise that the issue you have sought information about, is a very
sensitive one for those families and their loved ones who have suffered a
loss. I am also aware that if I respond to the address generated by the
website, ‘whatdotheyknow’, the reply will be publically accessible for
anyone to access, and to do so, I could inadvertently cause distress to a
family.
Whilst the information I am providing is not in itself sensitive in the
sense that it does not relate to specific cases, the material does relate
to a matter which must be handled with sensitivity, and it is for this
reason that I would ask that you consider providing an alternative contact
point to direct the information to.
I am also available to discuss how I might transfer the information to
you, in a format acceptable to you which might address the concern set out
above
You can contact me at your convenience at the number below
Regards
Mr Peter Moran
Assistant Information Governance Manager
HSCB
Western Offices
Tel: 028 95 361041
Dear Peter Moran,
Please upload information on this platform.
You may include a warning that the details are of a sensitive nature.
Yours sincerely,
Donna Benson
“This email is covered by the disclaimer found at the end of the message.”
________________________________
Ms Benson
Thank you for your reply to my email of 17th December 2018. I can confirm that the response has been completed.
I would again ask that an alternative address is provided and I would refer you to my previous email which sets out the rationale for this request, which centres on my wish to be sensitive to those families and their loved ones who have suffered a
loss.
Regards
Mr Peter Moran
Assistant Information Governance Manager
HSCB
Western Offices
Dear Peter Moran,
The reason for my delay in responding is that I was waiting for whatdotheyknow to advise me on this matter.
They have confirmed that the information should be loaded here.
Yours sincerely,
Donna Benson
“This email is covered by the disclaimer found at the end of the message.”
________________________________
Ms Benson
Please refer to my earlier emails in this matter.
Regards
Mr Peter Moran
Assistant Information Governance Manager
HSCB
Western Offices
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