Freedom of Information request Bed bug infestations, costs and mattress disposal, 2020–2026

Dear Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, 02/10/2026 I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The purpose of this request is to gather data on the scale of bed bug infestations across NHS hospitals and the associated cost of treating and managing these infestations. ___________________ Required information ___________________ Specifically, I am seeking anonymised data on the following from 1 January 2020 to 2 October 2026: 1.) The number of confirmed or suspected bed bug infestations or incidents recorded by the Trust for each year within the specified period. Please provide the data broken down by year. 2.) The total expenditure incurred by the Trust, where recorded and readily available, in relation to the treatment, control or removal of bed bug infestations or incidents for each year within the specified period. Please provide the data broken down by year. This should include, where recorded and readily available, expenditure relating to: — pest control and eradication; — cleaning or decontamination; — treatment of affected areas; — removal or disposal of mattresses; and — removal or disposal of other affected items. Please include expenditure incurred through both in-house provision and external or contracted services, where this information is held. If the Trust does not record bed bug incidents or associated expenditure separately from other pest control activity, please provide the total number of pest control incidents and associated expenditure for each year within the specified period instead. (Questions 1 and 2 are the primary information sought by this request. Question 3 is supplementary, and I would not wish the availability or accessibility of the information requested in Question 3 to prevent the Trust from responding to Questions 1 and 2.) __________________________________________________________________________ Guidance published by one NHS Trust, in its "Management of Bedbugs in Inpatient Wards" flowchart, indicates that mattresses may be bagged and discarded as clinical waste following a bedbug infestation. As practices and record-keeping may vary between Trusts, I would therefore be grateful for the following information where recorded and readily available: 3.) Where recorded and readily available, the number of mattresses removed or disposed of as a result of confirmed or suspected bed bug infestations for each year within the specified period. Please provide the data broken down by year. If the Trust does not record mattresses removed or disposed of specifically in relation to bed bugs, please provide the corresponding figures for mattresses removed or disposed of as a result of pest infestations generally, where available. If information relating to mattress removal or disposal is not already held in a readily accessible format, or would require a disproportionate amount of manual review or analysis to identify, please proceed with Questions 1 and 2 only and do not undertake additional work to answer Question 3. I confirm that I am not seeking any personal or identifying information. ___________________ Fallback period ___________________ If the Trust is unable to provide the requested information for the full period of 1 January 2020 to 2 October 2026, I would be grateful if you could instead provide the information for the period 1 January 2023 to 2 October 2026, where available. — I would appreciate it if the Trust could provide the information for the full requested period where reasonably available. However, where data for the earlier period is not readily accessible, please proceed with the 2023 to 2026 period rather than refusing the request in its entirety. ___________________ Cost limits and partial disclosure ___________________ If providing any part of this request would exceed the cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act, I kindly ask that you do not refuse the request in its entirety. — Where this occurs, I would be grateful if you could instead provide any information that can be disclosed within the applicable cost limit (for example, Q1 only). — Where any part of the request cannot be answered, please specify which elements fall outside the cost limit or are otherwise exempt, and explain the reasons clearly. — To clarify, I am not asking the Trust to work up to the time or cost threshold, but simply confirming that partial disclosure would be acceptable if it enables some information to be released. In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, please also provide advice and assistance on how the request could be refined to enable further disclosure where appropriate. ___________________ Preferred format ___________________ Please provide the information in electronic format, preferably as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV file. If you have any questions or require further clarification, please don't hesitate to contact me via this WhatDoTheyKnow request. I appreciate your assistance with this request and look forward to receiving your response within the statutory timeframe of 20 working days, by the 30th of October 2026. Yours faithfully,