Details regarding my complaint with the NIHR
Dear University of Southampton,
On the 17th February 2025, I opened up a complaint with Quinton Newell, Director of Strategic Operations at the NIHR Coordinating Centre, regarding the arguable lack of appropriate concern for research integrity by Dani Preedy.
On the 28th February 2025, I received the following reply:
"In line with the NIHR policy document ‘Concerns and Complaints and NIHR operations’ (version 1.0, 31 July 2024), an Executive Director of NIHRCC was informed of your complaint (ref N004_25) against Dr Preedy for not showing an appropriate level of concern regarding research integrity, by refusing to escalate your objection to the proposed puberty blocker trial to Prof. Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Advisor.
The Executive Director appointed a senior member of staff at the University of Southampton as investigating officer. The investigating officer conducted a thorough review of your complaint inline with the ‘Concerns and Complaints and NIHR operations’ document, the agreed process for the NIHR National Research Collaboration Programme and The Concordat to Support Research Integrity.
The conclusion of the investigation is that there were no grounds to uphold the complaint and Dr Preedy acted in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures. The investigating officers' report and conclusions were then reviewed by a second senior member of staff at the University of Southampton who agreed with the outcome. Hence I'm sorry to inform you that your complaint has not been upheld and this concludes the matter."
1. Please could I request the "report and conclusions" regarding my complaint.
2. Please could I also request the name of the "senior member of staff" at the University of Southampton who investigated my complaint and the "second senior member of staff" who reviewed the "report and conclusions".
Yours faithfully,
Orlando Woolf
Dear Orlando Woolf,
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Acknowledgement of request for information
Request date: 26/04/2025
Due date: 27/05/2025
Ref: F-25-0180
Thank you for your request for information dated, a copy of which can be
found below.
Information requested
1. Please could I request the "report and conclusions" regarding my
complaint.
2. Please could I also request the name of the "senior member of staff" at
the University of Southampton who investigated my complaint and the
"second senior member of staff" who reviewed the "report and conclusions".
Please quote this reference above in any future correspondence regarding
this request.
Your sincerely,
Freedom of Information
University of Southampton
Highfield Campus
Southampton, SO17 1BJ
DISCLAIMER:
This communication (including any attachments) is intended for the
addressee only and may contain confidential, privileged or copyright
material. It may not be relied upon or disclosed to any other person
without the consent of the University of Southampton. In the event that
this communication has incorrectly been addressed to you, it is likewise
subject to protection under confidentiality and should not be disclosed.
In either event if you have received this communication in error, please
permanently delete it from your system and promptly notify the sender. You
should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose or distribute
its contents to any other person.
Dear Orlando Woolf,
Please find your response attached.
Kind Regards
Freedom of Information
University of Southampton
Highfield Campus
Southampton, SO17 1BJ
DISCLAIMER:
This communication (including any attachments) is intended for the
addressee only and may contain confidential, privileged or copyright
material. It may not be relied upon or disclosed to any other person
without the consent of the University of Southampton. In the event that
this communication has incorrectly been addressed to you, it is likewise
subject to protection under confidentiality and should not be disclosed.
In either event if you have received this communication in error, please
permanently delete it from your system and promptly notify the sender. You
should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose or distribute
its contents to any other person.
Dear staff member of the University of Southampton,
Thank you for fulfilling my Freedom of Information request.
Yours,
Orlando Woolf
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