Pregnancy and homelessness

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

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

FOI, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Ms Morris,

Freedom of Information Act Request Acknowledgment

Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information Office at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We confirm that we have received your correspondence.

Your request below is being considered and you will receive a response within the statutory timescale of 20 working days following the date on which the request was received, as defined by the Act, subject to the information not being covered by an exemption or containing reference to a third party.

For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions which may prevent release of some or all of the information you have requested. There will be an assessment and 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 rights 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 some or all of the information to you. You will be informed if this is the case.

There may be a fee payable for this information. This will be considered and you will be informed if as fee is payable. In this event the fee must be paid before the information is processed and released. The 20 working day time limit for responses is suspended until receipt of payment. You will be informed if this is the case.
If you have made a request for information held by the Trust - we will contact you as soon as possible if we need any further information to enable us to answer your request. If we don't need any further information we will respond to you within the statutory timescale of 20 working days following the date on which the request was received.

If you have any further queries or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact us.

With best regards,

Alan Larn.

Alan Larn | communications officer (Freedom of Information) |
Communications Department
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Nethermayne | Essex | SS16 5NL
01268 524900 ext 2992
[Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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FOI, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Ms Morris,

Can you please send us an example of the spreadsheet you would like us to fill in, as an email attachment?

With thanks and regards,

Alan Larn.

Alan Larn | communications officer (Freedom of Information) |
Communications Department
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Nethermayne | Essex | SS16 5NL
01268 524900 ext 2992
[Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust request email]

show quoted sections