Pregnancy and homelessness
Hello,
’m a reporter with Newsquest’s Data Investigations Unit. I’m currently looking into issues around homelessness and pregnancy.
I’m hoping to acquire more information about pregnant women attending obstetrics/maternity/antenatal care appointments within your Trust who declared themselves homeless – whether rough sleeping, in temporary accommodation, with no fixed address or sofa surfing.
I’d like full disclosure of data as outlined below and would appreciate your advice and direction, as specified under the Freedom of Information Act, if you feel there’s a way of better refining my request to allow you to retrieve the information I’m interested in.
1. How many pregnant women presenting for initial obstretics/maternity/antenatal care appointments within your Trust declared themselves as homeless or with no fixed address between 2015 and 2019? Please breakdown by year.
2. How many of those pregnant women still declared themselves as homeless or had no fixed address upon being admitted to a labour ward to give birth?
3. For 1 and 2, if the information is available, please breakdown the numbers of women to specify how many were rough sleepers, how many were in temporary accommodation (please give numbers for hostels, B&Bs, refuges or other), or with no fixed address.
4. Please also provide figures for the outcomes of pregnancies for homeless women, broken down by the number that ended with a live birth, the number that underwent terminations, the number that had miscarriages and the number that were stillborn.
5. Please indicate age groups for the number of pregnant women who declared themselves homeless – whether under 20, 20-30, 30-40 or 40+.
6. How many of those who were pregnant had their child removed from their care at birth?
Please disclose your response in an Excel spreadsheet, with headings, where appropriate, as follows:
‘TRUST’ - ‘YEAR’ - ‘NUMBER HOMELESS AT INITIAL APPOINTMENT’ - ‘NUMBER LIVING IN HOSTELS’ - ‘LIVING IN B&B’ - 'ROUGH SLEEPING' - ‘LIVING IN REFUGE’ - ‘WITH NFA’ – ‘STILL HOMELESS WHEN ADMITTED TO LABOUR WARD FOR DELIVERY’ – ‘LIVING IN HOSTEL AT TIME OF DELIVERY’- ‘B&B AT TIME OF DELIVERY’ – REFUGE AT TIME OF DELIVERY – NFA AT TIME OF DELIVERY – NO OF LIVE BIRTHS – NO OF TERMINATIONS – NO OF MISCARRIAGES – NO STILLBIRTHS – AGE UNDER 20 – AGE 20-30 – AGE 30-40 – AGE 40+ - NO OF BABIES REMOVED FROM MOTHER’S CARE
If you identify any problems with this request, as mentioned, I’d appreciate advice, assistance and guidance as to how I can refine it to ensure I get as full a disclosure as is possible.
If there is any reason why you cannot provide every element of disclosure requested, please provide as much as you are able.
Yours faithfully,
Joanna Morris
Freedom of Information Request Acknowledgement
Thank you for your request which was received by us on 23rd October 2019.
Under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 we are required to provide a response within 20 working days. You should expect to receive a response by 20th November 2019.
We will advise you if we do not hold the information requested or if an exemption applies.
Your request has been given the reference number FOI 19-12822 .
FOI Team
T: 01284 712941 | Ext: 2941
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Hardwick Lane|Bury St Edmunds|SUFFOLK|IP33 2QZ
Dear Joanna Morris,
I am writing to confirm that the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has now completed its search for the information which you requested on 23rd October 2019.
1.How many pregnant women presenting for initial obstretics/maternity/antenatal care appointments within your Trust declared themselves as homeless or with no fixed address between 2015 and 2019? Please breakdown by year.
2016 - < 5
2017 - 5
2018 - < 5
2019 - 9
2.How many of those pregnant women still declared themselves as homeless or had no fixed address upon being admitted to a labour ward to give birth?
2016 - 0
2017 - 0
2018 - 0
2019 - 0
3.For 1 and 2, if the information is available, please breakdown the numbers of women to specify how many were rough sleepers, how many were in temporary accommodation (please give numbers for hostels, B&Bs, refuges or other), or with no fixed address.
Combination of sofa-surfing, hostel, YMCA and temporary accommodation.
4.Please also provide figures for the outcomes of pregnancies for homeless women, broken down by the number that ended with a live birth, the number that underwent terminations, the number that had miscarriages and the number that were stillborn.
2016 - all live births.
2017 - all live births.
2018 - all live births.
2019 - all live births - 2 yet to deliver.
5.Please indicate age groups for the number of pregnant women who declared themselves homeless – whether under 20, 20-30, 30-40 or 40+.
2016 - < 30-years-old
2017 - Varied in age from 17-31.
2018 - < 30-years-old
2019 - Varied in age from 22-31
6.How many of those who were pregnant had their child removed from their care at birth?
2016 - None
2017 - None
2018 - None
2019 - < 5
The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research and for the purposes of news reporting. Any other reuse, for example commercial publication, would require the permission of the copyright holder.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to:
Chief Executive
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Hardwick Lane
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP33 2QZ
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may request the Information Commissioner’s Office to carry out a review.
Kind regards
Emily Speare
FOI & IG Support Officer
T: 01284 712941 | Ext: 2941
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Hardwick Lane|Bury St Edmunds|SUFFOLK|IP33 2QZ
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