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Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Policies

Dear Sir/Madam,

Freedom of Information Request — Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Policies

I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for information held by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.

I would like to request the following information concerning your organisation’s workplace drug and alcohol testing arrangements for its own employees and contractors:

1. Does Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust conduct drug and/or alcohol testing on its own employees or contractors — whether as part of pre-employment screening, random testing, for-cause testing, or post-incident testing?

2. If yes, what testing method(s) are used (e.g. urine immunoassay, oral fluid screening, hair analysis, blood testing, breathalyser)?

3. What cut-off threshold(s) and confirmation standard(s) are applied? – Please specify the screening and confirmatory cut-offs for THC/cannabis metabolites in particular, and the analytical standard followed (e.g. EWDTS, SAMHSA/US-DOT, manufacturer default).

4. What safeguards are in place for employees who may test positive due to:

(a) Use of lawful, commercially available CBD products (which may contain trace THC below the 0.2% legal limit);

(b) Prescribed medication (e.g. Sativex, Epidiolex, or other cannabinoid-based medicines);

Specifically, does the process include review by an independent Medical Review Officer (MRO) or equivalent qualified professional before any disciplinary action is taken?

5. How many employees have been subject to disciplinary action or dismissal based wholly or partly on a positive drug test result in the last three years? Of those, how many involved cannabis/THC as the substance detected?

6. Has Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust received any formal grievances, complaints, or employment tribunal claims relating to its drug testing procedures or outcomes in the last three years? If so, how many, and what was the general nature of the complaint?

7. Please provide a copy of your current drug and alcohol testing policy (or the relevant sections of your wider HR/disciplinary policy that govern drug and alcohol testing), together with any associated guidance issued to managers or employees.

I would prefer to receive the information electronically where possible. If any part of this request is unclear, I am happy to clarify. I understand you are required to respond within 20 working days.

Yours faithfully,

Adoption of IHRA definition and Contact Details

HR, What Do They Know

Dear NHS Trust,

Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)

1. We are a law firm and act for Health Workers 4 Palestine (“HW4P”), a private company limited by guarantee (Company number: 15544250). HW4P advocates for the rights of Palestinian health workers, and its aims include ensuring that healthcare workers are protected and supported globally during humanitarian crises and armed conflict.

2. The purpose of this letter is to submit a FOIA request on HW4P’s behalf, expeditious compliance with which is necessary for its vital work. The request is set out at paragraphs 4-5 below.

3. As set out below, in line with ICO Guidance we ask for a prompt response to this request, and note that in any case a response is required within 20 working days.

Request for Information

4. Please confirm whether your Trust has (i) adopted or intends to adopt, or (ii) has formally decided not to adopt, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (‘IHRA’) definition of Antisemitism. Please provide the body (e.g. Board or named committee) which has made that decision and the date of that decision.

5. Please provide:

a. the email address of your Trust’s Chief Executive Officer (or alternatively, the appropriate email address of the office of the Chief Executive Officer), and
b. the email address to be used for service of legal correspondence and proceedings on your Trust (e.g. the legal team’s email address).

We look forward to your response promptly and in any case within the required 20 working days.

Yours faithfully,

Staff Appraisal & Mandatory Training Reporting Infrastructure

Dear Information Governance Team,

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please provide the following information regarding the Trust’s internal workforce data reporting and accessibility frameworks, in relation to appraisal and training compliance data and reports.

For the purposes of this request, “PID-level” refers strictly to Person-Identifiable Data (i.e., data broken down to individual staff member names or staff work-based email addresses) rather than aggregated department-level figures.

Please complete the attached excel template with your answers for the below questions.

1. Trust status

a) Please state your Trusts’ full name (i.e. no acronyms)
b) Please state whether you are an:
• Acute Foundation Trust
• Acute Non-Foundation Trust
• Mental Health Foundation Trust
• Mental Health Non-Foundation Trust
• Community Foundation Trust
• Community Non-Foundation Trust
• Integrated Acute & Community Trust
• Specialist Trust
• Care Trust

2. Accessibility of Performance Data

a) Does the Trust make individual PID-level staff appraisal and mandatory training compliance data directly accessible to staff via local intranet or accessible platforms (such as Microsoft SharePoint, local intranet dashboards, PowerBI hubs, Tableau hubs, or shared drives)? (yes/no)

Note: Please exclude any access routed directly through the national Electronic Staff Record (ESR) platform or similar.

If yes, please provide:

b) The month and year the appraisal and training report(s) were implemented on the accessible platform in the format of mmm-yyyy. If the month is unknown, please still provide the year.

c) The generic name of the platform you use (such as Microsoft SharePoint, local intranet, PowerBI hubs, Tableau hubs, or shared drives)

3. Access Permissions & Restriction Protocols
If the reports/dashboards identified in Question 1 exist, please confirm how access to this person-identifiable compliance data is governed:

• a) Is the information visible to all corporate network users uniformly (yes/no)?

• b) Is the information visible to all network users uniformly (i.e. all staff, irrespective of role) (yes/no)?

• c) Is access restricted based on specific user profile permissions? (yes/no)
o If restricted, please state the criteria used (e.g., restricted by individual Username, restricted exclusively to users with Line Manager/ Supervisor status, or restricted by Departmental/Directorate boundaries).

• d) Other – If ‘other’, please provide a brief description of how this is governed.

4. Recorded KPI Impact Data

If the reports/dashboards identified in Question 1 exist, to understand the operational impact of making these reports available, please provide the Trust’s monthly KPI compliance rates to two decimal places (0.00%) for

a) staff appraisals, and
b) mandatory training (either ‘core’ training or all training required – whichever is easier to supply)

• The end-of-financial-year compliance (%) figures for the March before the platform’s implementation.

• The end-of-financial-year compliance (%) figures for the subsequent three Marches after platform implementation (if implementation is less than three complete financial years, please provide the end of financial year March figures up to March 2026).

Thank-you

Kind regards,

Keyboard Jamming

Dear Sir or Madam

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Dating from January 1, 2020, I was hoping to find out:

The number of staff members employed by the Trust who were dismissed following disciplinary action where the alleged misconduct involved the use of so-called “keyboard jamming” or similar methods intended to simulate activity while working from home A breakdown of the number of these dismissals by year.

I am happy to receive the answer via email.

Impact of April 2025 Visa Salary Threshold Changes on Lower-Paid Staff

HR, Staffing

Freedom of Information request – impact of April 2025 visa salary threshold changes on Band 3 and lower-paid staff

Dear Freedom of Information Team,

Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I am requesting information relating to the impact of the April 2025 visa salary threshold changes on lower-paid NHS staff, particularly Band 3 and below roles.

For the purposes of this request, please provide information covering the period: 9 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

If it is easier for the Trust to provide information for a slightly different date range already used in internal reporting, please do so and indicate the period covered.

1) Employees requiring visas in Band 3 and below Please provide the number of employees at Band 3 and below who, during the period above, required a visa in order to work for the Trust. Please break this down by: pay band job title / role visa type, where recorded (for example: Skilled Worker visa, Graduate visa, Dependant visa, Health and Care Worker visa, or other) If visa type is not centrally recorded, please state this.

2) Staff whose employment ended or changed where visa status was a contributing factor Please provide the number of employees whose employment ended or whose role changed during the period above where visa status, visa expiry, or visa-renewal ineligibility was a contributing factor. Please include the following categories, if held: formal dismissals non-renewal of fixed-term contracts resignations linked to visa-related issues staff who left employment before visa expiry due to anticipated ineligibility redeployments or transfers to different roles due to visa/salary issues cases where sponsorship was not offered or not renewed Please break this down by: pay band job title / role reason category

3) Staff in roles below the relevant visa salary threshold Please provide the number of employees who, at any point during the period above: required visa sponsorship (or would require sponsorship upon expiry of their current visa in order to remain employed), and were employed in roles whose salary was below the relevant visa salary threshold applicable to them at that time. Please break this down by: pay band job title / role If the Trust does not hold this as a single dataset, please provide any equivalent recorded information, internal reports, or assessments used to identify staff potentially affected.

4) Sponsorship decisions and Certificates of Sponsorship Please provide the following information for the period above: a) The number of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by the Trust, broken down by: pay band job title / role b) The number of cases where sponsorship was: not offered not renewed withdrawn determined not to be viable where the salary for the role did not meet the applicable visa salary threshold. Please break this down by: pay band job title / role

5) Policies, guidance, and mitigation measures Please provide copies of any policies, guidance, internal instructions, or briefing documents issued during the period above relating to: employees unable to meet visa salary thresholds handling visa expiry where sponsorship or renewal may not be possible any mitigation measures intended to retain affected staff This may include, but is not limited to: HR guidance manager guidance workforce planning instructions redeployment guidance salary/uplift or role-change mitigation discussions

6) Internal assessments, risk reviews, or communications Please provide copies of any recorded information created or held during the period above relating to the impact of the April 2025 visa salary threshold changes on staffing. This may include: internal impact assessments workforce risk reviews HR reports board, committee, or senior management papers internal emails or briefing notes communications with NHS England, DHSC, UKVI, or the Home Office To help keep this request within cost limits, if necessary this part may be interpreted as limited to: documents or correspondence containing the terms “visa threshold”, “salary threshold”, “Skilled Worker”, “Band 3”, “Health Care Assistant”, “Nursing Assistant”, “sponsorship”, or “right to work” between: HR Recruitment Workforce / People Directorate Executive / senior leadership teams

7) Recording systems Please state whether the Trust has a specific policy, procedure, or system for recording and monitoring employee visa status, visa expiry dates, and sponsorship status. If so, please provide: the name of the policy/procedure/system a copy of the relevant policy, or a summary of the process if a full document cannot be provided Clarification / format

If any part of this request is considered too broad or likely to exceed the appropriate cost limit, please treat this email as a request for advice and assistance under section 16 of the Act, and advise how it may be refined so as to remain answerable.

If any requested information is not held in the exact format requested, please provide any equivalent recorded information that would assist in understanding the scale of the issue. I would prefer to receive the response in electronic format.

Yours faithfully

Workforce Disability Equality Standard

Corporate Governance, HR

Hi Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS team,

I was reading your Annual Equalities Report 2023–24.

You note that the trust publishes annual Workforce Disability Equality Standard action plans, and your disability action plan says the 2021–26 People Strategy agreed actions to improve disability recruitment.

How do you evidence, at the vacancy level before shortlisting, where each role was promoted and what engagement it generated with disabled candidates and communities you are trying to reach?

Disability Network helps employers build that advert stage record at vacancy level. That gives HR clearer evidence if the role is questioned later.

I can send a short overview if useful.

Kind regards,

Uniform, Infection Control & Surgical Scrubbing Policies

ESR/Workforce, HR

Dear Freedom of Information Officer,

I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (or Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 where applicable) for the following information:

1. Your current Uniform and Dress Code Policy (including any appendices)
2. Your current infection prevention and Control Policy / guidance specifically covering:
Bare below the elbow requirements ,
permitted jewellery in clinical areas – eg wedding rings
Any accommodations for articles of religious faith (hijab, niqab, kippah, kara, kirpan, crucifix, turban etc.)
3. Any specific dress code guidance for
general clinical areas
high infection risk areas like ICU,ITU, Isolation
any dress policy pertaining to surgical/theatre environments and any scrubbing protocols
4. Any Equality impact assessment conducted in relation to the above policies
5. The date each policy was last reviewed and scheduled next review date

If any information is already publicly available, please direct me to the URL.
If this request is too broad or unclear, I would be happy to discuss how it might be refined

I understand you are required to respond within 20 working days. And I look forward to hearing your response

Thankyou for your assistance

Pay Protection

ESR/Workforce, HR

Dear FOI Team, I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000: 1. A copy of your current Pay Protection Policy (or equivalent document outlining the Trust’s approach to protecting earnings following redeployment, downbanding, or reduction in contracted hours). If the policy is part of a wider document (e.g. organisational change, redeployment, HR, or workforce policies), please provide the relevant section or the full document. I would prefer the information in electronic format. Many thanks, Kind regards

Recruitment, Banding and Appointment Processes

I am requesting information regarding recruitment and banding within the Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC), of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, specifically Hope House (Gloucester) and First Light (Swindon). Regarding Swindon I am referring to nursing recruitment by the Trust and not their crisis workers. Section A: Senior Management Appointment The job description and person specification for the role of AC, SARC Service Manager, currently held at Band 8. The dates between 2016 and 2021 on which this specific Band 8 role was advertised for recruitment, and the platforms used for the advertisement (e.g., NHS Jobs, internal intranet). The total number of applicants and the number of candidates shortlisted for this specific Band 8 vacancy. If the role was filled without a competitive external advertisement, please provide the specific Trust Policy or Standing Financial Instruction that permits a direct appointment from a Band 5 role to a Band 8 role. The date on which the incumbent was promoted from a Band 5 Crisis Worker role to their current Band 8 position. Section B: Nursing Appointments (Management Remit) 6. Regarding the three nursing positions currently filled by CK, PSW and SC, please provide: a) The dates these roles were advertised and the recruitment platforms used. b) The job descriptions and banding assessments for these roles. c) Confirm if these appointments were made as ‘acting’ positions, ‘internal redeployments’, or permanent substantive appointments. d) If these appointments were filled without a competitive advertisement, please provide the specific governance or HR policy that authorised this. Section C: Policy and Governance 7. Please provide a copy of the Trust’s current Recruitment and Selection Policy and any policy relating to “Direct Appointments” or “Internal Promotions without Advertisement.”

Staff Working Remotely from Locations outside of England

ESR/Workforce, HR

Dear Freedom of Information Officer,

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding Trust staff working remotely from locations outside of England.

Specifically, I would like to request the following information for the last two financial years (2023/24, and 2024/25 to date):

• The total number of staff members currently given permission to work remotely from a location outside of England.
• A breakdown of these staff members by their pay band and job title (if providing titles would not breach GDPR by identifying individuals).
• The countries from which these staff members are authorized to work.
• The duration of these arrangements, specifically distinguishing between temporary (short-term) and permanent remote working.
• The Trust’s current policy or guidance regarding staff working from abroad or outside of England.

I look forward to receiving a response within the statutory 20 working days.

Yours faithfully,

NHSE’s National Pregnancy & Baby Loss People Policy Framework

HR, Organisation

Dear FOI Team,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request the following information relating to NHS England’s National Pregnancy and Baby Loss People Policy Framework, published in March 2024. The framework applies to pregnant women and people who experience a pregnancy or baby loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy. This policy includes, but is not limited to: miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, and termination of pregnancy.
1. Does this NHS Trust apply the above-named framework regarding staff who have experienced a pregnancy or baby loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy into local trust policy?
2. Are all staff who disclose a pregnancy loss entitled up to 10 days annual leave (pro-rata)?
3. What type of leave is given to those who disclose a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy (e.g. Sickness Leave, Compassionate Leave, Special Leave)?
4. Are staff members who are partners of a woman or person who has experienced a pregnancy loss entitled up to 5 days leave (pro-rata)?
5. Please provide any internal policy documents or guidance issued to staff regarding pregnancy and baby loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy, in an electronic format.
A link to the framework is here: NHS England » National pregnancy and baby loss people policy framework

Best wishes,

EHRC consultation

HR, What Do They Know

Dear Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust,

I hope you are well. Between 20 May and 30 June 2025, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ran a consultation on proposed changes to their Code of practice for services, public functions and associations (the consultation).

I would like to please request a copy of your trust’s response to this consultation. I am aware some bodies submitted responses to the consultation via the EHRC’s web form, while others submitted documents formatted themselves.

I would be grateful if you could provide me with what was submitted to the EHRC by the trust, in whatever format it is held – whether a document that was copied from into the EHRC’s form, a PDF file, a printout of the completed form, or however you hold the information.

If you have already published this information then I apologise and would be grateful please if you could direct me to where exactly it is available.

Yours faithfully,

International Training Fellows

GHNHSFT - Redirect, HR, Staff Training, Staffing

Dear Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust,

I wish to make a freedom of information request. Please can you tell me the following:

– The number of International Training Fellows accepted by your trust for the years 2023, 2024, 2025 (if possible, broken down by country of the training org from which they have come).
– The names of all overseas organisations from which your Trust accepts ITFs.
– The total salary of ITFs working and receiving training in your Trust for the years 2023, 2024, 2025.
– The number of ITFs who arrived in 2023 who have a) left the Trust, b) remain employed by the Trust.

Yours faithfully,

Health and Care Worker Visa

ESR/Workforce, HR, Staffing

To whom it may concern,

Can you let me know how many of your current staff work in your Trust on a Health and Care Worker Visa?

How many medical staff in total work in your Trust?

Thank you,

Long Term Sickness 2019 to 2024

Health, HR, Staffing

I would like to make a Freedom of Information Act request for the following information

– How many members of staff employed by your organisation have been on long-term sickness absence in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024?
and
– At what grades and functions?
and
– How many of these members of staff did not return permanently to work by year?
and
– How many members of staff employed by your organisation who were no longer able to fulfil their current role has your organisation supported to find alternative roles find alternative roles in other parts of the NHS in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

If possible I would welcome this in a CSV file or similar.

If any of the above needs clarification I would be more than happy to provide clarification.

Collaborative Bank (Admin and Clerical) Provider

ESR/Workforce, HR

Dear FOI Officer,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request the following information:

Provider 1
1. What is the name of your Admin and Clerical Collaborative Bank software provider? (None if software not used)
2. When did the contract for this provider start? (dd/mm/yyyy) (None if software not used)
3. When does the contract for this provider expire? (dd/mm/yyyy) (None if software not used)

Provider 2 (If applicable)
4. What is the name of your second Admin and Clerical Collaborative Bank software provider? (If you have more than one provider)
5. When did the contract for this second provider start? (dd/mm/yyyy)
6. When does the contract for this second provider expire? (dd/mm/yyyy)

Provider 3 (If applicable)
7. What is the name of your third Admin and Clerical Collaborative Bank software provider? (If you have more than one provider)
8. When did the contract for this third provider start? (dd/mm/yyyy)
9. When does the contract for this third provider expire? (dd/mm/yyyy)

Additional
10. What was the Trust’s total spend on Admin and Clerical Collaborative Bank fees in 2024 (excluding implementation)?
11. What was the Trust’s total spend on Admin and Clerical Collaborative Bank fees in 2025 (excluding implementation)?

Kind regards,

Staff Sickness 2020 to 2025 & Agency Usage

Health, HR, Nursing & Agency Nursing

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request copies of the following:

1. General sickness absence from 2020-2025:

– The total number of staff sickness absence days taken each year, broken down by year from 2020-2025.

2. Categorisation of sickness absence:

– Does your organisation code sickness absences by specific category or reason (e.g. ‘mental health’, ‘burnout’, ‘flu’, ‘musculoskeletal issues’)?
– If yes, please provide the breakdown for each recorded sickness category for each year in the five-year period (2020-2025).
– If such categorisations have changed over time, please indicate when changes to categories or coding were implemented.

3. Locum and agency staff usage from 2020-2025:

– The total number of locum or agency staff engaged in each year of the five-year period (2020-2025).
– If records permit, please detail the total expenditure on locum or agency staff for each year.
– If possible, please indicate whether the use of locum/agency staff was linked to covering staff sickness absences.

Sickness Absence – 2024

ESR/Workforce, Health, HR, Staffing

I would like to make a Freedom of Information Act request for the following information

Please provide:
– What is the distribution of sickness absence days amongst your organisation’s workforce by percentile?
– A breakdown of sickness absence in your organisation in 2024 by grade and function
– Details of what measures, interventions and support has your organisation provided to reduce sickness absence.
– A copy of your HR policies relating to sickness absence

If possible I would welcome this in a CSV file or similar (except for the policies which I would welcome in PDF or word ideally)

If any of the above needs clarification I would be more than happy to provide clarification.

Employment Tribunal Claims

I am submitting this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

1. How many active Employment Tribunal claims are currently ongoing against your Trust and what are the projected legal costs of these cases?

2. How many Employment Tribunal claims has your Trust had in the last five years and what was the total cost of these cases.

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as required by law.

Racism/Racist Abuse towards Staff

HR, Safety and Security, Serious Incidents

1. The number of reported incidents of racism/racist abuse towards staff by patients in 2022, 2023, 2024, and the first nine months of 2025.

– Can the data be categorised in calendar years please.

2. From the figures given in question 1, can you specify how many of the reported incidents were:

a) verbal

b) physical assaults please.

– Can the data be split with a) and b) columns and categorised in calendar years please.

Sexual Misconduct

HR, Staffing

1. Can you provide a breakdown of sexual offences which have been reported in your trust for the last three financial years (2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25)

2. Can this be broken down by whether the person making the accusation is a member of staff, a patient, or a member of the public.

3. How many staff members at your trust have been disciplined over the last three financial years (2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25) in relation to a sexual offence?

4. How many staff members at your trust have been dismissed over the last three financial years (2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25) in relation to a sexual offence?

Contracts for ID Cards, Lanyards and Access-Control Supplies

Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I would like the following details about your current arrangements for:

– staff ID cards (both printed and blank)
– ID card printers and consumables
– staff, contractor & visitor lanyards
– any other access control supplies.

Please provide:
– The name of the current supplier or suppliers.
– The contract reference number.
– The total value of the contract, including any permitted extensions.
– The contract end date and any extension period that may be used.
– A description of the service or goods provided by each supplier.

If no formal contract is currently in place for any of these items, please provide for the most recent complete financial year:

a) The supplier name or names, Companies House registration number where available, and website address where available.
b) The total spend in pounds sterling.
c) A brief description of the items purchased.
d) The purchasing route used, for example purchase card, purchase order or framework call off.

This request excludes physical access control hardware, installation & repair/maintenance costs.

If the data is held electronically, please supply it in a searchable format such as CSV or XLS. Please do not supply images or unsearchable files.

If part of the information cannot be provided within the statutory cost limit, please supply the information that can be provided and advise me how I might refine the request.

If your organisation does not directly purchase or contract for these items, please state which organisation or department is responsible and, if possible, provide contact details.

Recruitment Drive Exercise

HR, Misc

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I would like to request the following information from the trust from the last five financial years:
1. The number of staff who were sent to a foreign country to facilitate recruitment drives (to address shortages as set out as part of the NHS Long Term Plan).
2. The total cost to the trust of each recruitment drive exercise including flights and accommodation
3. The city and country that were visited as part of the exercise
4. The type of staff it was hoped would be recruited
Please can the information be broken down by year, for the last five financial years (2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25)
Please limit the search to just those where the bills for the recruitment were paid in any of the last five financial years.

Parental Leave Data

I am writing to request the following information relating to parental leave under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000:
• The total number of employees who took shared parental leave (SPL) in the last five
financial years: 2020/21; 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023/24; and 2024/25.
• In the same period, the number of employees who took:
• Maternity leave
• Paternity leave
• Any internal policy documents or guidance issued to staff regarding shared parental leave
entitlement, including any updates in the past five years.
• Whether enhanced pay is offered during shared parental leave, and if so, how it compares
to maternity and paternity leave packages.

Use of Non-Disclosure Agreements in Trusts

For the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2025 (or as far back as records are held, if full data for this period is not available):

1. Total number of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) — also referred to as confidentiality clauses or settlement terms within COT3 agreements or other settlement agreements, entered into with current or former staff members by your organisation.

2. Of those NDAs, please provide a breakdown of how many were associated with settlement agreements relating to:
a) Complaints of bullying or harassment
b) Complaints of discrimination (related to any protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010)
c) Whistleblowing or the raising of protected disclosures
d) Other reasons (please specify if available)

3. Total amount of money paid out under all settlement agreements or COT3s that included an NDA during this period.

4. The highest individual settlement amount paid out under a settlement agreement or COT3 that included an NDA during this period.

5. If available, please also provide:
A breakdown by staff group or job role (e.g. nursing, medical, administrative, etc.) A breakdown by department or service area A breakdown by type of complaint (if not already provided above) If the information is not held in this level of detail, please provide whatever level of detail is recorded.

If any part of this request is likely to exceed the cost limit, please prioritise questions 1–3 and advise how I might reasonably narrow the scope of the remaining questions.

Staff with Purple Passports/Support for Staff with Long Covid

HR, Misc

I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
1. How many staff members currently employed by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust have declared a disability via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) or any other internal systems?
2. Of these, how many are:
o Issued a Purple Passport (or equivalent), or
o Have been granted reasonable adjustments ?
o How many Purple passport holders have long covid if any ?
3. Does the Trust operate a Purple Passport scheme (or similar system) to support disabled staff in accessing adjustments? If so, please provide a brief description.of what adjustments have been granted and indicate numbers gaining this status

Wearing/Use of Fragranced Products

HR, Misc, Staffing

Does the Trust have a staff policy in respect of the wearing/use of fragranced products? Please provide a copy of your staff policy concerning the wearing/use of fragranced products (including use of fragranced laundry products). Where terms such as ‘overwhelming’, ‘overpowering’ or ‘discreet’ are used in respect of fragrance, how are these terms defined and who decides if the level of scent contravenes the guidance: the wearer, the Trust or the patient? How is the policy brought to the attention of staff? Is the policy in respect of the wearing of fragranced products enforced? How is it enforced? What training is given to staff to make them aware that the use of fragranced products can be an accessibility barrier for patients? Please provide details. If any such material is third party copyrighted, please provide a synopsis. Please provide copies of any correspondence, memos or minutes of meetings pertaining to discussion of the use of/ wearing of fragranced products by staff, including use of fragranced laundry products to wash clothing worn at work.

Spiritual, religious and/or chaplaincy services

Health, HR

As part of a piece of work I am undertaking to review the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy services offered by NHS England, I am contacting you to ask for the following information to please be provided.

1. How many whole-time equivalents are employed in the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy service(s) and what are their bandings? Please differentiate between staff on substantive and temporary contracts, as well as staff working in the service on bank or agency contracts.

2. What are the typical core hours of the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy service(s) on offer? How are these service(s) provided over the week (i.e. weekdays only, seven days a week, etc)?

3. What type of support (such as regular activities, events, or gatherings) is offered by the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy service(s)? Please differentiate this between support offered to patients, support offered to family / friends, and support offered to staff members.

4. What on-call or out-of-hours provisions are made by the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy service(s) at your Trust? Please differentiate between provisions offered by staff members employed by the Trust, and provisions offered by external contractors / arrangements.

5. What support is offered to the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy services(s) by external organisations? For instance, what contracts are held by the Trust for this / these service(s) and who are these contracts with?

6. On average, how many service users are supported by the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy service(s) in a week? Please take an average of service users supported between January and December 2024.

7. What is the overall satisfaction for the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy service(s) offered by your Trust? Please provide the overall satisfaction for the period January 2024 to December 2024.

8. What supervision, if any, is provided to staff working in the spiritual, religious, and / or chaplaincy service(s)? Please identify whether this is provided by your Trust or by an external provider, and the average annual cost for this provision.

9. Please provide a contact name and contact email address if there should be any additional queries relating to this Freedom of Information request.

Neonatal Leave and Pay/Lease Cars

I am wondering if you could please help me with a couple of benchmarking queries?

Neonatal Leave and Pay
• Have you got a family leave policy to share for this guidance and how you will process the leave for colleagues?

Lease Cars
• We are looking to add to our current guidance around scenarios where colleagues have a lease car and then for example, go on maternity leave, return on reduced days which could put them below the national minimum wage which could revoke the car. This could also apply to any substantive employees who adjust their hours for example. How do you support colleagues in this situation?

Workforce Systems

I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act relating to Workforce systems
Please respond to the following questions
1. Which software provider does the Trust use for medics rostering software
2. Which software provider does the Trust use for “direct engagement” management of temporary medical staff
3. Which software provider does the Trust use for the management of temporary medical staff
4. Which software provider does the Trust use for master vendor management software
5. What was the annual cost for the Trust’s medics rostering software in the last financial year
6. What is the contractual end date of your current medics rostering software
7. What is the contractual end date of your current direct engagement software
8. What is the contractual end date of your current temporary medical staff management software
9. What is the contractual end date of your current master vendor management software

Salary Sacrifice Benefit

HR, Staffing

1. Does your organisation offer salary sacrifice benefits* to staff? If yes, please state the name of the supplier, contract start and end dates.
*salary sacrifice benefit refers to an arrangement where employees agree to give up a portion of their pre-tax salary in exchange for non-cash benefits (e.g childcare, cycle to work schemes) a. Supplier Name b. Contract start date (dd/mm/yy) c. Contract end date (dd/mm/yy)

2. Does your organisation have an external Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)*?
* employee assistance programme refers to an employee-paid confidential service that offers employees support and advice on issues affecting their wellbeing and performance, both personal and work related.
a. If yes, who is the provider?

Very Senior Manager (SM) Grade

I would like to know how many people the trust employs in the Very Senior Manager (SM) grade please.
This should cover the current financial year, 2024-25 and 2023-24.
Please also include their job titles.

Allegations of antisemitism, islamophobia and racism

– Please provide the number of persons who work or have worked at your NHS Trust who have been the subject to complaints on the basis of allegations of (1) antisemitism (2) islamophobia (3) racism against Palestinians and/or Arabs since 7 October 2023.

– For each of the above persons who works or has worked at your Trust, please confirm:
(i) whether the complaint(s) is/are based on allegations of antisemitism or islamophobia and/or racism towards Palestinians and/or Arabs;
(ii) the name of any organisation that submitted the complaint;
(iii) whether the complaint arises from the person’s actions at work and/or outside work;
(iv) whether the complaint is being or has been dealt with under informal or formal disciplinary procedures;
(v) the content of the complaint (deleting any personally identifiable information)
(vi) the outcome of any disciplinary hearing;
(vii) any sanction which has been applied against the person.

– Please provide the definitions used by your NHS Trust for (i) antisemitism, (ii) islamophobia, (iii) racism towards Palestinians and/or Arabs.

International Recruitment Activity

Please complete the questionnaire attached.

Complaints Submitted by Midwives, Nurses and Doctors

I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information about complaints submitted by the midwives, nurses and doctors working at your trust.

From 1st January 2023 up to and including 15th April 2025, can you please tell me the following:

The number of grievances submitted by midwives, broken down into the nature of the complaint, including but not limited to:

Bullying and harassment work relations terms and conditions of employment health and safety.
Please break this down by year and month.

For “bullying and harassment” and “work relations” (above) please provide us with the trust’s summary of each grievance submitted by midwives and, where relevant, the outcome. Where necessary, please remove identifying details.

The number of grievances submitted by doctors. Please break this down by year.

The number of grievances submitted by nurses. Please break this down by year.

If this request is at risk of triggering the s12 cost exemption, please advise us on how we can amend the wording of our request to align with the trust’s categorisation and/or filing conventions for grievances and complaints.

Carers Leave Act 2024 – Survey

Please find a questionnaire attached.

NDAs and Settlement Agreements

I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

For the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025:

1. How many Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), also referred to as confidentiality clauses were signed with staff (current or former) by your organisation?
2. Of those NDAs, how many were part of settlement agreements related to:
a) Complaints of bullying or harassment
b) Complaints of discrimination (on any protected characteristic)
c) Whistleblowing
d) Other reasons (please specify if possible)
3. What was the total amount of money paid out in settlement agreements that contained NDAs?
4. What is the highest individual settlement amount paid in this period as part of a settlement agreement that contained an NDA?

Please include any available breakdowns by department, staff role, or type of claim where possible.

If it is not possible to provide all of the information requested, please provide as much as you are able to within the appropriate cost and time limits.

Grievances, Disciplinaries and Bullying & Harassment Complaints

Please can you detail the number of grievances, disciplinaries and bullying & harassment (dignity at work) complaints that have been raised in the last 5 years.

Pay-outs for Nurses following Employment Tribunal

Corporate Governance, HR

I would like information on employment tribunal (ET1) claims involving nursing staff at your organisation.

Please answer the following 4 questions under the Freedom of Information Act and see example answers as a guide.

For each financial year between 2020 and 2025 (or the latest available date), please provide yearly figures for the below:

1. The number of employment tribunal claims bought by nurses, trainee nurses and nursing associates against the trust. [example answer: 2020 – 0, 2021 – 2, 2022 – 0, 2023 – 1, 2024 – 1]

2. The outcome from each claim [E.g. withdrawn, won, lost- e.g: In 2020, 1 was in favour of the claimant, 2 were in favour of the respondent, 1 was discontinued/settled out of court]

3. How many cases each year led to an employment tribunal ruling the organisation must pay costs to the claimant, and how much was paid [example answer: 2020 – 1 case, £0 paid; 2021 – 2 cases, £12,000 paid; 2022 – 3 cases, £0 paid; 2023 – 0 cases, £0 paid, 2024 – 3 cases, £0 paid]

4. If possible, please break down each claim by type [e.g. public interest disclosure, unfair dismissal, discrimination]

Complaints Regarding Staff Member’s Uniforms/Appearance

I would like information on complaints received by your hospital relating to staff member’s uniforms/appearance.

Please answer the following four questions under the Freedom of Information Act and see example answers as a guide.

Please could you provide the following information:

1. What was the total number of complaints received by the Trust in the financial year between April 2023 – March 2024, and in the financial year from April 2024 to date [example answer: 2,034 between April 2023 – March 2024, 1,999 between 1 April 2024 – present day]

2. How many of those complaints related to the uniform, appearance or dress code of staff members (including but not limited to concerns about tattoos, hair colour, piercings, political or religious symbols/statements, hygiene or adherence to uniform policy)? Of those, how many complaints related to nurses. [example answer: 12, of which 3 related to nurses]

3. What did the complaints with regards to the uniform, appearance or dress code specifically relate to? [example answer: nurse had multiple visible tattoos]

4. What was the outcome of the complaints? [example answer: upheld, not upheld, partially upheld]

Doctors Ethnic Groups – Bands – Complaints

ESR/Workforce, HR

1. How many doctors work for your trust? By the term doctor, I mean those who treat patients, not those with a PhD, and/or who are not clinicians.
2. Break these into their ethnic groups and their corresponding grades e.g., white, black, Asian or whichever way you ethnically monitor your staff. If, for example, positions have fewer than five doctors in their grade and ethnicity, please use an asterisk and explain there are fewer than five.
3. Provide a key to explain your grading system e.g. lowest to the highest band or vice versa.
4. In the following years, how many complaints did you receive about doctors under MHPS during the following years? 1 Jan-31 Dec 2021; 1 Jan-31 Dec 2022; 1 Jan-31 Dec 2023; 1 Jan-31 Dec 2024.
5. Please break these down into ethnic groups e.g., white, black, Asian or whichever way you record your data for the corresponding years. If your numbers are fewer than five, then use an asterisk.
6. Of these complaints, how many resulted in your investigating them? Please list these in the corresponding years.
7. Please break these down into ethnic groups e.g., white, black, Asian or whichever way you record your data for the corresponding years. If your numbers are fewer than five, then use an asterisk.
8. Of these investigations, how many resulted in a sanction, adverse judgement or other disciplinary action? Please be clear about what the sanction was. Please list these in the corresponding years.
9. Please break these down into ethnic groups e.g., white, black, Asian or whichever way you record your data for the corresponding years. If your numbers are fewer than five, then use an asterisk.
10. Of all complaints how many resulted in a doctor being suspended during the inquiry? Please list these in the corresponding years.
11. Please break these down into ethnic groups e.g., white, black, Asian or whichever way you record your data for the corresponding years. If your numbers are fewer than five, then use an asterisk.
12. Of all the complaints how many did you refer the doctor to the GMC? Please list these in the corresponding years.
13. Please break these into ethnic groups e.g., white, black, Asian or whichever way you record your data for the corresponding years. If your numbers are fewer than five, then use an asterisk.
14. During your considering complaints, what is the average length of your investigations?
15. Please give the average length of your considering a complaint in terms of ethnic groups e.g., white, black, Asian or whichever way you record your data. If your numbers are fewer than five, then use an asterisk.

International Recruitment

Permanent / international recruitment – questions
How many roles did you recruit via international recruitment during the period August 2024 to January 2025?
Please provide a further breakdown by:
• Number of Nurses including banding
• Number of Doctors including grades
• Number of AHP including banding

Of these hires made please confirm the number of hires made using a recruitment agency.
Please provide a further breakdown by:
• Number of Nurses including banding
• Number of Doctors including grades
• Number of AHP including banding

Of the agencies used, please confirm:
• Which agency was used for the hire
• Which framework was utilised for the hire
• Please include non-framework agencies also

International Healthcare Recruitment

1. Could you please provide the contact details for the procurement officer responsible for international recruitment within the trust? For Doctors, Nurses and AHP

2. Outside of Procurement who is the Senior Officer Responsible for International Recruitment For Nurse, Doctors, AHP? and their Contaact details?

3. Additionally, what is the budget allocated for international recruitment for the financial year 2025/26 for Nurse, Doctors, AHP? Who is the responsible officer to allocate this budget?

4. Current Vacancies at the trust per Specialty: General Nurse/ Mental Health Nurses/ AHP/ Doctors

5. During the financial year 2023/24, which international recruitment partners did the trust use, if any? Who are they planning to use for 2025/26? Who is the responsible officer who decides this?

6. How many international Doctors/Nurse/AHP did the trust receive in the financial year 2023/24?

7. What was the international recruitment spend Bifurgted by Doctors/Nurses/AHP by the trust for the financial year 23/24?

297-2024

HR, Public

Request 1
In the previous 36 months on how many occasions have you engaged the services of an Executive Search recruitment company?i.e. a recruitment service for senior staff on a retained fee basis.

Request 2
If the response to Request 1 is positive what fees, either in percentage or a pounds and pence figure, where paid by your organisation to the supplier.

303-2024

HR, Public

Please provide the latest inclusive language guide document for staff and other documents used for internal diversity training

280-2024

HR, Organisation

1. Please confirm has your Trust adopted the Just Learning Culture in handling of concerns following receipt of Dido Harding’s letter that was sent to all Chairs and Chief Executives of NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts dated 23 May 2019.

2. Does your MHPS Procedure set out an informal process to deal with concerns pertaining to conduct/ capability of medical and dental staff, if so please provide details.

3. Please provide details of what training and support is provided by your Trust to Case Investigators and Case Managers when dealing with MHPS cases.

4. Please can you confirm if your Trust has a Decision-Making Group and if so, please can you confirm who sits on this group/how this is constituted and its remit?

5. The number of cases of medical and dental staff that were handled and resolved via a Just Culture approach and informal process.

6. The number of cases of medical and dental staff that were subjected to a formal MHPS investigation.

7. The number of medical and dental staff that have been formally excluded under MHPS and the duration of the exclusion.

8. Where medical and dental staff have been formally excluded under MHPS please provide a breakdown of whether this was on grounds of a) a need to protect the interests of patients or other staff pending the outcome of a full investigation, and/or b) the presence of the practitioner in the workplace was likely to impede the gathering of evidence during the investigation?

9. How many medical and dental staff have been the subject of a formal process in relation to concerns over conduct and performance after they have made a protected disclosure (whistleblowing) following concerns over patient safety or other issues?

10. Please provide the number of medical and dental staff that were placed on restricted duties and the duration of these restrictions.

11. Please provide a breakdown of how many of these formal MHPS investigations were:
a. Resolved with no further action due to the concerns not being upheld
b. Resolved via an agreement to proceed through a disciplinary fast track process which avoided the need to proceed to a formal hearing
c. Proceeded to a formal hearing – conduct or capability (provide breakdown)
d. Other outcome – provide details

12. Of the cases that proceeded to a formal hearing please confirm how many of these resulted in:
a. No disciplinary sanction – because the allegation/ concerns were not upheld
b. No disciplinary sanction – but ended with a recommendation for additional training/remediation/support
c. A disciplinary sanction – please confirm the level of this sanction (e.g. written warning/final written warning/dismissal)
d. Number of medical staff who appealed the disciplinary sanction and the outcome
e. Other outcome – provide details

13. Please provide length of time from start to finish of each MHPS

169-2024

HR, Media, Pharmacy

How many days of sick leave, recorded as being due to “Anxiety/Stress/Depression/Other Psychiatric Illnesses”, in line with NHS recording of sickness absence, were taken by pharmacy staff in your trust in each of the following years:
2024/25
2023/24
2022/23
2021/22
2020/21
2019/20
2018/19
2017/18

194-2024

HR, Public

I would like to know the difference in spending for Occupational Health (OH) and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). As part of this I am trying to get clarification on what constitutes OH and EAP.
1) Could you please provide me with an understanding of how your Trust defines OH and EAP respectively? What elements/criteria do you measure to track the provision of each?

2.) Could you also please provide a breakdown of how much the trust spends on OH and EAP respectively from the total spending figures you have provided in your initial FOI response?

HR

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