Freedom of Information (FOI) request to be sent to all Acute Trusts in England, and Health Boards in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Dear FOI contact,
I am writing to request your assistance with an open government request relating to your joint infection services according to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please kindly complete the below questions.
Questions for clinical team(s):
1. In 2022/2023 (or for the last recorded year with data available), in your Trust/Health Board, how many of the following did you record?
a) Paediatric patients with suspected septic arthritis in native joints
b) Paediatric patients with suspected prosthetic joint infection (PJI)
c) Adult patients with suspected septic arthritis in native joints
d) Adult patients with suspected prosthetic joint infection (PJI)
2. Does your Trust/Health Board follow or have any locally developed/adapted guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of septic arthritis in native joints and prosthetic joint infections in both adults and paediatric patients?
a) If yes, please state which guidelines have been adapted and please provide a copy of your local guidelines
3. When investigating suspected septic arthritis in native joints in both paediatric and adult patients, is a synovial fluid sample collected before or after antibiotics are administered and commenced?
a) Is joint aspirate collected in ED/triage, Assessment unit, inpatient ward, or theatre?
b) Who typically performs the procedure and collects the sample? (Please specify job role)
c) Does the above differ for suspected prosthetic joint infections? If yes, please clarify how this differs
4. What clinician would typically manage paediatric patients with suspected septic arthritis in native joints? (please select one or multiple)
I. Paediatric Consultant
II. Orthopaedic Consultant
III. Infectious Diseases Consultant
IV. Other (please specify)
5. Are patients discharged before culture results from synovial fluid aspirate are received? If yes, what requirements need to be met before patients are discharged?
Questions for lab/diagnostic team(s):
6. For adult and paediatric patients with suspected septic arthritis of native joints, what are the mean turnaround times (in hours, or if more appropriate, working days) for results on the following tests from receipt of specimen: (please provide an answer for each result)
a) Gram Stain
b) Culture
c) Blood culture
d) White blood cell count
7. Does your Trust/Health Board conduct PCR testing of bacteria from synovial fluid of patients who have suspected septic arthritis of native joints?
If yes:
a) Is this testing conducted on site?
b) At what point is testing requested – when the culture is negative or on request?
c) How long is the average turnaround time for results from receipt of specimen?
d) What organisms are routinely tested for?
8. Does your Trust/Health Board conduct 16S PCR testing of bacteria from synovial fluid of patients who have suspected septic arthritis of native joints?
If yes:
a) Is this testing conducted on site?
b) At what point is testing requested – when the culture is negative or on request?
c) How long is the average turnaround time for results from receipt of specimen?
d) What organisms are routinely tested for?
Joint question – input from both clinician and lab/diagnostic team:
9. For joint infections, in your Trust/Health Board, please confirm the following:
a) Which roles or stakeholders are involved in the design of diagnostic pathways and introducing change/pathway improvement?
b) Which team(s) hold the budget for investing and implementing in new technologies across the pathway (e.g. rapid diagnostic testing)?
Thank you for taking the time to supply this information. I am working for, and have submitted this request, on behalf of Mtech Access, a market access company based in the UK. We are currently investigating and gathering information on the diagnosis and treatment processes for patients with suspected septic arthritis of native joints and prosthetic joint infections in the NHS for a specific singular client project.
As part of this request, I am seeking to obtain your permission to re-use and share the information you have provided with our client (a biotechnology company). The information and data will not be published publicly and will only be for our client’s internal use and information.
Please let me know within your response to this request if you do not want us to share this information with our client.
Thank you.
Best wishes,
Kimrin Pannu
Dear Kimrin Pannu
Thank you for your request for information about infections. Your request
was received on 09/02/2024 and we are dealing with it under the terms of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) came into being on 1st
April 2006 and assumed responsibility for the services provided by both
the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust
(NCH).
In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case I will
let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be
required to pay before I will proceed to deal with your request.
You will receive the information requested within 20 working days allowed
under the Act unless the Trust does not hold the information or there is a
reason for it to be withheld. I will write to you in any event.
If you have any requirements regarding the format any information should
be supplied in, e.g. the language to be used, audio, large print and so
on, then please let me know.
If you have any queries or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact
me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.
Further information about your rights is also available from
the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
[1]www.ico.gov.uk
Yours sincerely,
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
[2][email address]
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Date and Time : Thu Feb 15 14:21:52 2024
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Dear Blagg Melanie 3 (Digital & Information),
I trust this message finds you well.
I'm reaching out to inquire about the status of the FOI request I submitted back in February. As the response deadline has now passed, I would appreciate an update on the progress of my request.
Given the significance of the information sought, I kindly urge you to prioritise the processing of my request and provide a response at your earliest convenience. Your prompt attention to this matter would be greatly valued.
Regarding Question 1, I'd like to provide clarification. We are specifically interested in your response based on available patient data, including those with confirmed diagnoses and/or admissions to your Trust for the condition. To assist you in your response, please refer to the following ICD10 codes:
a) Paediatric patients with septic arthritis in native joints - M00.9
b) Paediatric patients with prosthetic joint infection (PJI) - T84.5 + Y83.1
c) Adult patients with septic arthritis in native joints - M00.9
d) Adult patients with prosthetic joint infection (PJI) - T84.5 + Y83.1
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Kimrin Pannu
Dear Kimrin Pannu
Firstly, I would like to apologise for the delay in responding to your
request.
We are aware that we have missed the legal deadline, the delay is due to
waiting for the information holder’s within the division to respond. I
have chased this up again today, and endeavour to respond as soon as
possible.
We apologise for any inconvenience the delay may have caused, we do remain
committed to responding to your request and will respond as soon as we are
able.
You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office
and you can contact them at:
Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire SK9 5AF Telephone: 0303 123 1113 or [1]www.ico.org.uk
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any queries, please quote
the above reference number in future communications.
Kind Regards,
FOI Officer
Information Governance Team
[2][email address]
Melanie Blagg
Clerical Officer
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Data Protection Office, Digital and Information
Queen’s Medical Centre Campus
Nottingham
NG7 2UH
Telephone: (0115) 924 9924 ext XXXXX
NEW: [3]Online Data Request Portal and Supporting Information.
(i.e SARs / Access to Health Records / Police / Disclosures / FOIs etc.)
Dear Kimrin Pannu
I am writing in response to your correspondence dated 09/02/2024
requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) came into being on 1st
April 2006 and assumed responsibility for the services provided by both
the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust
(NCH).
Your request for information has now been considered. The Trust's response
is provided in the attached document.
You are advised that this information is provided in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and is for your personal use. Any re-use
of this information will be subject to copyright and the Re-Use of Public
Sector Information Regulations (18th July 2015). In the event of any
re-use, the information must be reproduced accurately and not used in a
misleading manner.
If you have any queries or concerns then please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
If you are unhappy with the response you have received and wish to make an
appeal against our decision, you should write to
Head of Information Governance/Data Protection Officer
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
ICT Services, Heathfield House
City Campus
Hucknall Road
Nottingham NG5 1PB
Or by email [1][email address]
If you are unhappy with the overall service you have received and wish to
discuss your concerns or obtain details on how to complain, please
contact:
Patient Advice & Liaison Service
Telephone 0800 183 0204
[2][email address]
If, after exhausting our internal process, you are still unhappy with the
information received, you may write to:
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
[3]www.ico.gov.uk
Melanie Blagg
Data Protection and Security Co-ordinator
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Data Protection Office, Digital and Information
Queen’s Medical Centre Campus
Nottingham
NG7 2UH
Telephone: (0115) 924 9924 ext XXXXX
NEW: [4]Online Data Request Portal and Supporting Information.
(i.e SARs / Access to Health Records / Police / Disclosures / FOIs etc.)
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