FOI: Liaison Psychiatry Referral Policy

The request was successful.

Dear Derbyshire Community Health Services 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.

FreedomofInformation (DERBYSHIRE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust

Dear George Gillett
REF: 2019/290 Freedom of Information Request – Acknowledgement
With reference to your request made under the Freedom of Information Act, Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust acknowledges receipt of your request for information dated 10/12/2019. The process has been instigated. Our reference number should be used in all future correspondence.
In accordance with Trust policy and the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, a period of 20 working days is assigned for processing your request. [Working days within the NHS refers to Mon-Fri.]
We will contact you and keep you up to date if it appears there will be a delay in providing you with your response beyond the period prescribed by the Act.
Please contact us if you have any queries regarding the procedure.
Yours sincerely,
Sallyann Mee
Information Governance Officer

Derbyshire Community Health Service
Alfreton Primary Care Centre
Church Street
Alfreton
DE55 7AH

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MEE, Sallyann (DERBYSHIRE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust

Dear George Gillett
REF: 2019/290 Freedom of Information Request – Clarification
I’m writing in reference to your recent Freedom of Information request dated 10/12/2019. We require further clarification on the questions raised in your request.
By adult general hospitals, please can you clarify if you mean Acute hospitals only ?
We will not be able to continue completing your request without further clarification in order to ensure that we are providing the appropriate information that you require.
The request will be placed ‘on hold’ whilst we await your clarifications. This will extend the 20 working day timeframe which will then start again once we have received the additional information to the questions above. If we do not receive clarification by 18/12/2109 we will close your request .
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Sallyann Mee
Information Governance Officer

Derbyshire Community Health Service
Alfreton Primary Care Centre
Church Street
Alfreton
DE55 7AH

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Dear Sallyann,

Many thanks for your email & clarification. By general hospitals we mean any hospital providing general medical, surgical or rehabilitation care. This is not limited to acute hospitals.

Many thanks,

George Gillett

MEE, Sallyann (DERBYSHIRE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust

Thank you for clarifying

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MEE, Sallyann (DERBYSHIRE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust

2 Attachments

Dear George Gillett
REF: 2019/290 Freedom of Information Request – Final Disclosure
I am writing in response to your correspondence received 10/12/2019 requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Your request for information has now been considered and I am able to answer your questions, please see the attached document.
Please also find attached our short satisfaction survey which I would grateful if you could complete and return to me.
I hope that the information meets your requirements. Should you have any further enquiries or queries about this response please do not hesitate to contact me.
However, if you are unhappy with the way in which your request has been handled, you can raise any concerns you might have by contacting:
Tracy Allen
Chief Executive
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
Ash Green Learning Disability Centre
Ash Gate Road
Ash Gate
Chesterfield
S42 7JE
If you remain dissatisfied, you can apply to the Information Commissioner, who will consider whether Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust has complied with its obligations under the Act, and can require Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust to remedy any problems. You can find out more about how to do this, and about the Act in general, on the Information Commissioner’s website at: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk. Complaints to the Information Commissioner should be sent to:
FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely,
Sallyann Mee
Information Governance Officer
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
Alfreton Primary Care Centre | Church Street
Alfreton | DE55 7AH

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