Disciplinary proceedings over NHS staff using social media or instant messaging apps

The request was successful.

Dear The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,

I am writing with a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I would like this information for the calendar year to date, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Please can you tell me:

*How many people working at the trust have been subject to disciplinary proceedings for their use of instant messaging apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat)?

*How many people working at the trust have been subject to disciplinary proceedings for their use of social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)?

*Please tell me, for each case, the job title of the staff member concerned (e.g. junior doctor, consultant, nurse, administrative staff) and which sanctions were applied (e.g. dismissal, formal warning, referral to professional regulator).

I would prefer to receive the information electronically, and in either Excel or CSV format.

Should this request be likely to breach the costs limit set out in section 12 of the FOI Act, I would like the information for the most recent calendar years in turn, going backwards until the cost limit is reached.

Yours faithfully,

Kat Lay
Health Correspondent
The Times
020 7782 5054 // 07775 694 789

Freedom of Information, The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Ref No: FOI 1819016

Dear Kat

Thank you for your email of 9 April 2018 where you requested information about disciplinary proceedings over staff using social media or instant messaging apps from The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RBCH).

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days. Please note that the FOI Act covers all recorded information held by a public authority, and does not require that authority to create new information for the purposes of responding to your request.

Please note that the processing of requests under the FOI Act carries a financial cost for the organisations dealing with them. Therefore, if you no longer require the information that you have requested please notify us as soon as possible so that we can stop processing your request.

If you have any queries about this request do not hesitate to contact us. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team
The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
[The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust request email]

Freedom of Information, The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Ref No: FOI 1819016

 

Dear Kat

 

Thank you for your email of 9 April 2018 where you requested information
about disciplinary proceedings over staff using social media or instant
messaging apps from The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust (RBCH).

 

The information you requested is below with answers provided in bold, blue
text:

 

I am writing with a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I would
like this information for the calendar year to date, 2017, 2016, 2015,
2014 and 2013.

 

Please can you tell me:

 

*How many people working at the trust have been subject to disciplinary
proceedings for their use of instant messaging apps (e.g. WhatsApp,
Facebook Messenger, Snapchat)?

 

*How many people working at the trust have been subject to disciplinary
proceedings for their use of social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram)?

 

*Please tell me, for each case, the job title of the staff member
concerned (e.g. junior doctor, consultant, nurse, administrative staff)
and which sanctions were applied (e.g. dismissal, formal warning, referral
to professional regulator).

 

The Trust has taken your request to refer to staff who have been
disciplined as a direct result of use of social media or messaging apps,
for example posting patient details on-line or unauthorised use of social
media during the working day. There have been no formal disciplinary
proceedings such as these. There have been disciplinary cases in which use
of social media has been considered incidentally; however these have not
been included as the disciplinary was not directly related to social media
use.

There may have been low level incidents which have not been handled
formally and are therefore not recorded centrally. Such cases are only on
individual personnel files. It is estimated that to provide the
information that you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’
as determined in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection
(Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.  Section 12 of the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) makes clear that a public authority is not
obliged to comply with an FOIA request if the authority estimates that the
cost of complying with the request would exceed this ‘appropriate limit',
which for NHS organisations is set as £450.  The Trust therefore considers
this information to be exempt from disclosure under the terms of Section
12 of the FOIA.

 

 

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[2][email address], or

 

Information Governance Manager

The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Castle Lane East

Bournemouth

BH7 7DW

 

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
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decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information Team

The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

[3][email address]

 

 

References

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