Hospital Chaplaincy Procedures

The request was partially successful.

Dear North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,

I would like to request the following information on standards, policies and procedures relating to hospital chaplains in your Trust.

Could you please:

1. tell me whether policies or procedures exist to:

a. establish whether a patient admitted to any of your hospitals does or does not wish to receive contact from a hospital chaplain

b. ensure that patients (or their visitors, next-of-kin etc.) do not received unsolicited contact from chaplains

c. safeguard patients’ personal and medical data such that hospital chaplains by default do not have access to it

d. ensure that hospital chaplains, when given access to patient data, do not share any of it with third parties

If you answered yes to any of the above, please could you provide me with copies of the relevant policies or procedures

2. outline your approach for monitoring adherence to the policies and procedures above

3. provide me with a summary of the results of this monitoring for the last five years, including rates of compliance with the policies and procedures, and severity of any non-compliance events

4. provide me with details of any action taken in respect of any non-compliance identified (e.g. tightening of procedures, disciplinary action – in the latter case, taking care not to disclose any personal information)

Please could you release this information in electronic form by email via this WhatDoTheyKnow request.

Yours faithfully,

Susan Davis

Dear North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,

I do not appear to have received a reply to my FoI request, nor an acknowledgement that it has been received. If it was received, the 20 day limit has now expired.

Could you please reply to let me know whether the request has been received, and if it has, explain the reason for any delay, and provide me with a projected date by which you expect to be able to respond.

Thank you,

Susan Davis

McCarthy Dermot (RRD) North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,

2 Attachments

Dear Susan Davis,

Please accept my apologies for the delay in replying to your recent
informaiton request.

Please see the replies in blue (below) and the attachments:

Dear North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,

I would like to request the following information on standards,
policies and procedures relating to hospital chaplains in your
Trust.

Could you please:
1. tell me whether policies or procedures exist to:
a. establish whether a patient admitted to any of your hospitals
does or does not wish to receive contact from a hospital chaplain - no
written policy
b. ensure that patients (or their visitors, next-of-kin etc.) do
not received unsolicited contact from chaplains - no written policy
c. safeguard patients’ personal and medical data such that hospital
chaplains by default do not have access to it - referred to in protected
characteristics guidance - attached
d. ensure that hospital chaplains, when given access to patient
data, do not share any of it with third parties - referred to in Mid Essex
arrangements document

If you answered yes to any of the above, please could you provide
me with copies of the relevant policies or procedures
<<mid essex arrangements.doc>> <<Protected Characteristic Guidance
Religion and Belief.doc>>
2. outline your approach for monitoring adherence to the policies
and procedures above

Patient's religion and belief is noted for monitoring purposes and they
may be asked if they want to see someone from the chaplaincy team.
Normally people who ask to see a chaplain are put in touch with them.
Chaplains only have access to relevant patient records if they have a
direct involvement with a patient individually or in a group. All
chaplain's are bound by patient confidentiality requirements

3. provide me with a summary of the results of this monitoring for
the last five years, including rates of compliance with the
policies and procedures, and severity of any non-compliance events
This information is not available

4. provide me with details of any action taken in respect of any
non-compliance identified (e.g. tightening of procedures,
disciplinary action – in the latter case, taking care not to
disclose any personal information) This information is not available

Please could you release this information in electronic form by
email via this WhatDoTheyKnow request.

Yours faithfully,

Susan Davis

Dermot

Dermot McCarthy
Trust Secretary
North Essex Partnership University NHS FT

01245 546 429

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