Released 8 July 2024
Request:
1. The number of doctors who have been subjected to formal disciplinary processes, including MHPS, for taking / removing prescription medication not prescribed to them stored in the hospital / GP practice in the following time frames:
2024 so far
2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
2. The number of doctors who have been referred to the General Medical Council for taking / removing prescription medication not prescribed to them stored in the hospital / GP practice in the following time frames:
2024 so far
2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
3. The number of nurses who have been subjected to formal disciplinary processes, including MHPS, for taking / removing prescription medication not prescribed to them stored in the hospital / GP practice in the following time frames:
2024 so far
2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
4. The number of nurses who have been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for taking / removing prescription medication not prescribed to them stored in the hospital / GP practice in the following time frames:
2024 so far
2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
5. The number of non-medical staff who have been disciplined for taking / removing prescription medication not prescribed to them stored in the hospital / GP practice in the following time frames:
2024 so far
2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
Assistance provided to applicant under section 16 [duty to assist] on 19 June 2024:
It is important to note that University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has only been in operation since 1 April 2021, following the merger of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The legacy Trusts used different administration and reporting systems and therefore data relevant to periods of time prior to the merger will require separate research and validation. Due to the time and effort required to compile this historical information, the provision of data prior to April 2021 will not be possible within the ‘appropriate limit’ as outlined in the Fees Regulations and section 12 [cost limit] provision of the FOIA is applicable.
Please confirm if you are happy to revise your request to data from April 2021 for the merged Trust?
Information about the Trust’s hospitals can be found on our website.
Regarding question 5, can you please clarify what you mean by “non-medical staff”? “Medical” staff generally refers to doctors in the NHS so non-medical staff may include nursing staff, midwives and Allied Health Professionals, however, data relevant to nursing staff is requested for question 3 and 4.
If you can clarify this for us it will help ensure that we provide the most appropriate data relevant to your request.
We appreciate the public interest in the information you are seeking and would like to assist you in progressing your request with us. We are therefore writing to you under section 16 of the Act [duty to assist] to offer you the opportunity to reconsider and revise or clarify your request following the advice provided above.
For example, with clarification we should be able to provide data relevant to University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust post-merger (i.e. 01 April 2021 onwards).
Reply received from applicant on 19 June 2024:
Thanks very much for this. By non-medical staff I am referring to non-clinical staff. Does that help?
Further assistance provided to applicant under section 16 [duty to assist] on 19 June 2024:
Thank you for your swift response to our request for clarification, which is very helpful. Can you please also confirm that you are happy to receive data from April 2021, when the Trust was formed? The reason for this was explained in our previous correspondence.
Reply received from applicant on 19 June 2024:
Yes I am happy to receive data from that point. Thanks again.
In line with the section 45 FOI Code of Practice, the statutory deadline was reset following clarification.
Information disclosed:
1. The number of doctors subject to formal disciplinary processes for this reason between April 2021-May 2024 = none (nil).
2. The number of doctors referred to the General Medical Council for this reason between April 2021-May 2024 = 5 or fewer*
3. The number of nurses/health care assistants subject to formal disciplinary processes for this reason between April 2021-May 2024 = 5 or fewer*
4. The number of registered nurses who have been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for this reason between April 2021-May 2024 = 5 or fewer*
5. The number of non-medical staff subject to formal disciplinary processes for this reason between April 2021-May 2024 = none (nil).
* Where information was relevant to 5 or fewer individuals that could be identified through disclosure, this information has been anonymised in line with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Anonymisation: Managing Data Protection Risk Code of Practice. Moreover, the UK GDPR provides extra protection to the personal data of suspected offenders in the context of allegations, investigations, and proceedings.
The Trust therefore considers the disclosure of more specific information to be exempt under section 40(2) [personal information] exemption.