PAs and prescribing / ionising radiation

Frances Marshall made this Freedom of Information request to Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust as part of a batch sent to 200 authorities Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust did not have the information requested.

Frances Marshall
Delivered

Dear Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust,

This request will only be relevant if your trust hires/has hired physician associates (PAs).

1) In several physician associates (PAs) have erroniously prescribed medications to patients. If this has happened at your trust, please provide the following information:

a) The earliest and latest date a prescription was made by a physician associate?

b) The total number of physician associates who have made unauthorised prescriptions?

c) The total number of prescriptions made by PAs that have been acted on, i.e. patients given medication?

d) The total number of prescription requests made by PAs that were not acted on, i.e. patients not given medications?

e) Please list all controlled medications and cytotoxic drugs prescribed by physician associates, and the total number of occasions on which they were prescribed?

f) Please give the number of patients who came to harm as a result of PAs making any unauthorised prescriptions?

g) Please explain how it was possible for PAs to prescribe medication at your trust (e.g. PAs accidentally given prescribing functionality)?

h) What steps have you taken to rectify this issue, including any penalties for the physician associates involbed?

2) Several trusts have reported situations in which their physician associates (PAs) have erroniously ordered ionising radiation. If this has happened at your trust, please provide the following information:

a) Total number of incidents in which PAs made requests for ionising radiation?

b) Total number of incidents in which PAs made requests for ionising radiation, and these requests were acted on (i.e. the patient received the scan with ionising radiation as requested by the PA)?

Yours faithfully,

Frances Marshall

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Freedom of Information, Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Thank you for contacting the Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust
Freedom of Information mailbox.

 

Queries are processed 09:00 – 16:00 on normal working days (Monday to
Friday, except for Public Holidays).  Requests outside these times will be
dealt with on the next working day.

 

Trust Governance – Information Governance & Quality Compliance Team

Room 1.42

Woodlands House

Norwich Community Hospital

Bowthorpe Road

Norwich

NR2 3TU

 

Telephone: 01603 272279

Recipients should be aware that all E-Mails received or sent by this Trust
are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and therefore may be
disclosed to a third party.

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Freedom of Information, Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Dear Francis

We refer to your Freedom of Information request dated 29 February.

Please find below our response regarding the information you have requested.

NCHC does not have any physician associates (PAs) so the FOI request would not apply to us, however we suggest that you may like to contact the following acute hospitals in our area:

• Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Colney Lane, Norwich, NR4 7UY
https://www.nnuh.nhs.uk/about-us/freedom...

• James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Lowestoft Road, Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 6LA
https://www.jpaget.nhs.uk/about-us/freed...

• The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, Gayton Road, King’s Lynn PE30 4ET
http://www.qehkl.nhs.uk/freedom-of-infor...

The Trust provides a complaints procedure to deal with complaints about the Trust’s handling of requests for information. If you feel you need to make a complaint in the first instance you should contact our Complaints Officer at:

Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust Norwich Community Hospital Bowthorpe Road Norwich
NR2 3TU

Email: [email address]

If you feel you have exhausted our internal complaints procedure, you also have the right and may feel you wish to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

With Regards

Agnes Earl
Governance Support Officer
Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust

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Woodlands House, Norwich Community Hospital, Bowthorpe Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 3TU
www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk

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