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Responses > Rate of Sodium Nitrite Poisoning in your Hospital Trust

Freedom of Information request Rate of Sodium Nitrite Poisoning in your Hospital Trust

Response published: 6 March 2025

FOI Request

I’m writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information about the rate of sodium nitrite poisoning in your hospital trust. Please note I am asking about sodium nitrite, not sodium nitrate. For the past five years, up to and including 6 February 2025, I’d like to know the following: How many cases of sodium nitrite poisoning were there? Please break this down into cases of a) intentional poisoning (eg suicide) and b) unintentional poisoning. A. Of the cases of sodium nitrite poisoning, how many of them were administered Methylene Blue? How many deaths were there where sodium nitrite poisoning was listed as the, or a, cause of death? Please break this down into how many deaths were caused by a) intentional poisoning (eg suicide) and b) unintentional poisoning. A. Of the deaths caused by sodium nitrite poisoning, how many of them were administered Methylene Blue?

FOI Response

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: GHC-06022025-949652

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.

You asked:

I’m writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information about the rate of sodium nitrite poisoning in your hospital trust. Please note I am asking about sodium nitrite, not sodium nitrate. For the past five years, up to and including 6 February 2025, I’d like to know the following: How many cases of sodium nitrite poisoning were there? Please break this down into cases of a) intentional poisoning (eg suicide) and b) unintentional poisoning. A. Of the cases of sodium nitrite poisoning, how many of them were administered Methylene Blue? How many deaths were there where sodium nitrite poisoning was listed as the, or a, cause of death? Please break this down into how many deaths were caused by a) intentional poisoning (eg suicide) and b) unintentional poisoning. A. Of the deaths caused by sodium nitrite poisoning, how many of them were administered Methylene Blue?

Our response:

The Trust does not hold the information requested. Please contact Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation 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.