Released 9 May 2023
Request:
Under the Freedom of Information Act, please could you provide me with the following information:
- The total number of physical assaults on staff recorded in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31)
- The total number of physical assaults on staff recorded that involved medical factors in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31)
- The total number of times physical injury to staff was recorded following physical assaults in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31). If possible, please break down the number of injuries reported by severe/major, moderate, and low/minor.
- The total number of times restraint was used on a service user/patient following a physical assault on staff in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31).
- The total number of times was seclusion used on a service user/patient following a physical assault on staff in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31).
- Total number of criminal sanctions applied in relation to physical assaults on staff in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31).
- Total number of civil and administrative sanctions applied in relation to physical assaults on staff in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31).
- The total number of times intended police action in relation to physical assaults on staff was recorded as charge in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31)
- The total number of times intended police action in relation to physical assaults on staff was recorded as verbal warning in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31)
- The total number of times intended police action in relation to physical assaults on staff was recorded as no action in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31)
- The total number of times it was recorded that the victim did not want police to pursue the matter in relation to physical assaults on staff in 2021/22 and 2022/23 (financial years from April 1 to March 31)
Information disclosed:
Please note University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2021, with the merger of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The recording of the data relevant to your request has historically been different across the legacy Trusts and this is reflected in the information we have been able to provide. Following the merger, the new Trust is in the process of aligning and improving the monitoring of this activity so that we are in a better position to provide more complete information going forward.
1. The total number of recorded physical assaults on staff in 2021 to 2022 was 534 and in 2022 to 2023 was 684.
2. Of the total physical assaults reported for question 1 above, the number that involved medical factors in 2021 to 2022 was 225 and in 2022 to 2023 was 286.
3. This information is not held on a central reporting system. In order to compile this information it would be necessary to audit all security incident reports and cross reference these with other reporting on Datix and those records held by our Occupational Health department. Such an endeavour would require an unreasonable level of staff resources and therefore cannot be provided within the time limit governed by section 12 provision [cost limit] of the FOIA.
4. Again, this information is not held on a central reporting system. Any information we might hold relevant to this part of your request would only be contained within individual incident records. Any attempt to compile data in the format you are seeking would require the manual audit of all of these records. Section 12 provision [cost limit] of the Act is applicable as above.
5. None (nil); the Trust does not have seclusion suites nor does it operate a seclusion policy.
6 and 7. We would not necessarily know the outcome of any police action once the perpetrators were taken into custody. Such information is not generally held by the Trust and is therefore not available under the Act. The local police authority would be best placed to advise regarding information of this nature.
8 to 11. This information is not held on a central reporting system. Any information relevant to this part of your request would only be contained within individual incident records. Section 12 provision [cost limit] of the Act is applicable as above.