Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 024-2026
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.
You asked:
For the finance years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25:
1. The total number of patient episodes (e.g., emergency, inpatient, outpatient) recorded in your trust’s systems where the patient was flagged as an asylum seeker or exempt from charging due to asylum/refugee status.
2. Total NHS expenditure associated with those episodes, by category where available (e.g., by service type such as A&E, inpatient, outpatient, prescriptions, maternity).
Our response:
Unfortunately, the Trust is unable to provide the information requested.
This is because whilst we do record ethnicity of our patients when disclosed to us, we do not capture nationality or asylum/refugee status as a separate category within our reporting systems. As our financial data is linked to the same datasets we are unable to identify activity and associated costs relating to charge exempt patients. Therefore, the information you have requested is not held by the Trust.
You asked:
3. Whether your trust records immigration status or charging exemption codes that can distinguish asylum seekers from other charging exemption categories.
Our response:
The Trust does not record immigration status or charging exemption codes that can distinguish asylum seekers from other charging exemption categories. Therefore, the information you have requested is not held by the Trust.
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.