Suspected domestic violence procedure

The request was successful.

Dear Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust,

I would like to request, under the Freedom of Information Act, answers to the following:

1. If the NHS Trust in any capacity, notes down incidences where NHS staff suspect an injury or condition of a patient admitted to Accident and Emergency in Camden and Islington (or any other NHS hospital department) has been inflicted as a result of domestic violence or abuse

2. Whether there is a procedure in place for staff to make a note/official mention when/if they suspect injuries or conditions may have been inflicted due to domestic violence or abuse

3. Whether there is a procedure in place for staff to refer patients to social workers or council refuge workers/departments if they suspect a patient’s injuries or conditions have been inflicted due to domestic violence or abuse

4. If such procedures DO exist, please could you inform me briefly of what they are, and what staff are instructed to do should they suspect that a patient’s injuries or conditions have been inflicted due to domestic violence or abuse

5. If such procedures exist, if possible I would like to know how many times a referral has been made (e.g. how many times a staff member has made an official referral/notice/complaint about a
patient with injuries or conditions they suspect may have been inflicted due to domestic violence or abuse)

I would like to clarify that I am not requesting the names, or any other personal information, about any patients or NHS staff who may be involved in this request.

Should there be no procedures of the kind mentioned in place, please could you inform me of that, rather than simply refusing to provide the information requested.

If it is appropriate for a certain hospital or ward area to be identified in order to simplify or narrow this request, I would like answers referring specifically to Somers Town and St Pancras ward, OR St Pancras Hospital only. Please disregard this caveat if not applicable.

Please let me know as soon as possible if I need to ask another authority for this information. I have already sent this request to the Camden Primary Care Trust, who did not hold the information.

I would prefer to receive this information electronically, preferably as a data set, eg. in Excel, not as a PDF.

If the decision is made to withhold some of this data using exemptions in the Data Protection Act, please inform me of that fact and cite the exemptions used.

If some parts of this request are easier to answer than others, I would ask that you release the data that IS available as soon as possible.

If you need any clarification then please do not hesitate to contact me. Under Section 16 it is your duty to provide advice and assistance and so I would expect you to contact me as soon as possible if you find this request unmanageable in any way.

Yours faithfully,

Hannah Thompson

Anderson, Amy, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

I am out of the office for most of the day on Friday 7th November. If your
query is urgent, please contact Hana Charlesworth on 0203 317 3229 or
[email address]

 

Kind regards,

Amy Anderson

Communications Department

Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Amy Anderson,

I have not yet received an acknowledgement of this FOI request - would you be able to confirm that you have received this request and that it is being dealt with under the conditions and time limits of the Act? Many thanks for your time.

Yours sincerely,

Hannah Thompson

Anderson, Amy, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Hannah,

I am copying in our FOI team. Please note their email address is [email address].

Kind regards,

Amy

show quoted sections

Information, Freedom, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

  • Attachment

    FOI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTHannah Thompson what do they know DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.docx

    232K Download View as HTML

Dear Hannah

Please attached acknowledgement

Kind regards

James Woollam
Interim Information Governance Manager
Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
3rd Floor North Wing
St Pancras Hospital
4 St Pancras Way
London
NW1 0PE
[email address]
Tel: 020 3317 3115
Fax: 020 3317 2730

show quoted sections

Good morning,

Please could you update me on the status of this request? By law I should have received a response by yesterday.

Many thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Hannah Thompson

Woollam, James, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

Dear Hannah

Thank you for your email request 27th November 2012 asking for information on domestic violence or abuse incidents.

Apologies for any delays in getting this response back to you

Please find our responses below each question. I also attach our Domestic Violence: Safeguarding Policy which relates specifically to question 2 at the bottom of the page.

You asked:

1. If the NHS Trust in any capacity, notes down incidences where
NHS staff suspect an injury or condition of a patient admitted to
Accident and Emergency in Camden and Islington (or any other NHS
hospital department) has been inflicted as a result of domestic
violence or abuse

– Yes According to our policy - 5.4 They must also ensure that issues relating to domestic violence are recorded in the service user’s RiO notes. Section - 6.1 details how assessment of domestic abuse needs to take place at point of referral, assessment or admission; whichever is the most appropriate and goes on to cover referral to appropriate agencies. If staff suspected any NAI they would ask the service user about it and seek immediate medical attention if required. The observation would be documented in the service user record and an incident form completed. A safeguarding alert would be raised if the service user was a vulnerable adult at risk of significant harm and a referral to MARAC made as necessary.


2. Whether there is a procedure in place for staff to make a
note/official mention when/if they suspect injuries or conditions
may have been inflicted due to domestic violence or abuse

- yes please see attached policy

3. Whether there is a procedure in place for staff to refer
patients to social workers or council refuge workers/departments if
they suspect a patient’s injuries or conditions have been inflicted
due to domestic violence or abuse

– Yes in policy at 6.2

4. If such procedures DO exist, please could you inform me briefly
of what they are, and what staff are instructed to do should they
suspect that a patient’s injuries or conditions have been inflicted
due to domestic violence or abuse

- Yes see policy. Referral to children’s or adult Social Care and MARAC (multi agency risk assessment conferences).

5. If such procedures exist, if possible I would like to know how
many times a referral has been made (e.g. how many times a staff
member has made an official referral/notice/complaint about a
patient with injuries or conditions they suspect may have been
inflicted due to domestic violence or abuse)

- Information available as safeguarding referral or MARAC referral, contact relevant LA authorities for detailed information

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should also be addressed to foi@[email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Kind regards

James Woollam
Interim Information Governance Manager
Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust 3rd Floor North Wing St Pancras Hospital
4 St Pancras Way
London
NW1 0PE
[email address]
Tel: 020 3317 3115
Fax: 020 3317 2730

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

show quoted sections

Dear James Woollam,

Many thanks for your response to my request. I would have appreciated it by the deadline but nonetheless find the information provided very useful. Many thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Hannah Thompson

Woollam, James, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

I am currently on leave and back in the office on Wednesday 2nd January.