Freedom of Information request - Psychiatric Inpatient Wards - Parental and family data
Dear NHS Trust,
This FOI request relates to people admitted to psychiatric inpatient wards who are parents.
By ‘inpatient ward’ we refer to: any ward that provides primarily psychiatric care, that has provision for overnight use, including locked and unlocked wards; including male, female, and mixed wards; including rehabilitation and forensic wards.
We do not need data relating to wards that are (or were during time period in question) exclusively delivering care to patients with dementia, or exclusively delivering care to older adults, or exclusively delivering care to children and adolescents (CAMHS).
Where possible please provide data on forensic wards separately from other types of ward.
By ‘parent’, we refer to any individual who has a child/children aged under 18 years (this can include step/foster/adopted/biological children). These parents need not necessarily have current caring responsibility (e.g. their child/children could be in temporary foster care).
We also include as a ‘parent’ any individual who has any other formal residential caring responsibility for a child aged under 18 years (e.g. where a grandparent has parental responsibility for a grandchild).
We are seeking data covering the period from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2019 inclusive.
Please provide the following data, as far as is reasonably possible:
1. Admissions Data
a. How many individual admissions (for one night or more) were made to each psychiatric inpatient ward in the Trust. This question refers to all patient admissions, not just parents.
If possible, please provide this information disaggregated by ward, and for each ward, please indicate:
• Ward gender type (male/female/mixed)
• Mean age of patients admitted during reporting period
b. How many of the patients reported under 1.a. were parents (as defined above)?
If possible, please provide this information disaggregated by ward, and for each ward, please indicate:
• Ward gender type (male/female/mixed)
• Mean age of patients admitted during reporting period
2. Parental Status Data Collection
a. What data are routinely collected on parental status when inpatients are admitted or during their care? For example, are any of the following recorded: parenthood status, parental responsibility, children’s age, involvement of statutory services, where child currently resides? Is any other related information routinely recorded?
3. Trust/ward policies and procedures
a. Please provide copies of Trust policy documents which include reference to the needs of psychiatric inpatients who are parents and their families (e.g. family visit policies).
b. Please provide copies of any internal guidelines/SOPs used by wards to manage child visits to wards.
c. Please provide a copy of each inpatient ward induction/welcome pack for inpatients.
d. Please provide a copy of any written information provided to carers of inpatients.
e. Please provide a copy of information provided to the carers of children of inpatients while they are inpatients (e.g. foster carer, grandparent).
f. Please provide a copy of any information provided to child(ren) of inpatients.
For items a-f, please state if no such materials exist.
4. Child visits.
a. During the reporting period, how many parents received at least one visit from their child/ren during their inpatient ward admission?
b. During the reporting period, how many individual visits were made by children to inpatient psychiatric wards?
5. Family-friendly facilities
a. Please provide a description of any family visit room(s) on each inpatient ward (include details of fixtures and fittings).
b. For each family room, state whether it is used solely for the purpose of family visits.
c. Please provide a photograph of each family room (a snapshot from a phone is fine).
Yours faithfully,
Sam Cartwright-Hatton
Thank you for your email.
We acknowledge receipt of your request.
You will be aware of the significant pressures on our health and social
care services. During this time there is a need for our staff to
prioritise their professional caring duties and to support front line
health and social care services. This has understandably had an impact on
other duties within their role such as responding to legislative
requirements under FOI and the processing of Subject Access Requests.
We assure you that your request will be logged and processed, and we will
do our utmost to respond as quickly as possible.
Yours faithfully
Information Governance Team
25.04.2023 Our Ref: FOI 1635
Dear Sir/Madam
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – INFORMATION REQUEST
I acknowledge your request which was received on 19.04.2023 requesting information held by the Trust.
Your request is currently being addressed and if approved we will aim to provide you with the information requested within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please note that Freedom of Information requests require input from senior staff and health care professionals, and unfortunately, due to the significant pressures on the health and social care system at present, the Trust is facing challenges in meeting the deadline for responding to some requests.
Please be assured that your request for information is important to us and we will continue to liaise with relevant service areas and endeavour to respond to your request within the 20 day deadline if possible.
If the deadline for response has passed, and you have not received further correspondence from us, please do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to receive an update on the progress of your request and we will be happy to assist.
For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions which may prevent release of the information you have requested. If any of the exemption categories apply then the information will not be released. You will be informed if this is the case, including your right of appeal.
If the information you request contains reference to a third party then they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to release the information to you. You will also be informed if this is the case.
There may be a fee payable for the information you have requested. In this event the fee must be paid before the information is processed and the 20 working day time limit for responses will be suspended until receipt of the payment. If a fee is required I will write to you again to advise of this.
If you have any queries or concerns then please contact Dr Catherine Weaver at:
Head of Information Governance
Southern Health & Social Care Trust
Ferndale
Bannvale Site
10 Moyallen Road
Gilford
BT63 5JX
Tel: 028 37561458
Email: [email address]
Yours faithfully
Karen Harrison
Information Governance Officer
Dear Sir/Madam
Please see response attached in respect of your recent Freedom of
Information request to the Southern Health & Social Care Trust.
Kind Regards
Karen Harrison
Information Governance Dept
Southern Health & Social Care Trust
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