Freedom of Information Request – Ref: 190-2024
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.
You asked:
How many incidents of a retained foreign object post-procedure were logged by your Trust in the past five years?
By ‘retained foreign object post procedure’, I refer to retained guide wires, mouth props, surgical instruments, needles, vaginal swabs, throat packs, etc.
Please break down this information by:
• The retained item.
• The financial year, covering April 1st – March 31st (2019/20, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25). For the latter, please provide information from April 1st to September 30th 2024.
Our response:
During the aforementioned financial years, there has only been one incident of ‘retained foreign object post-procedure’. This incident occurred during the financial year of 2022/23. The foreign object was a cotton wool ball.
Next steps:
Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:
Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk
If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.