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Responses > Orthopaedic Trauma

Freedom of Information request Orthopaedic Trauma

Response published: 15 December 2025

FOI Request

Dear Freedom of Information Officer, I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I am seeking information regarding the use of 3D printing / additive manufacturing in orthopaedic trauma within your Trust. If any part of my request exceeds the appropriate cost or time limits, I would be grateful if you could advise me on how to refine the request in accordance with Section 16 of the Act. Please provide any recorded information you hold for the period 1 December 2015 – 1 December 2025, where applicable. ________________________________________ FOI Question 1 – Case Numbers Please provide the total number of orthopaedic trauma cases in which 3D printing was used at your Trust between 1st December 2015 and 1st December 2025, along with an annual breakdown of these cases. ________________________________________ FOI Question 2 – Patient Demographics For the cases identified above, please provide the number of patients by recorded gender (male, female, other) and the number of paediatric patients ( ________________________________________ FOI Question 3 – Patient-Specific vs Generic 3D Printing Please confirm whether your Trust currently uses 3D printing for: a) patient-specific models, and b) generic or reusable surgical tools or guides, and c) implants (temporary or permanent) ________________________________________ FOI Question 4 – In-House Workflow For any 3D printing performed in-house, please indicate which stages of the workflow are carried out internally (Imaging, Segmentation, Design, Manufacture, Quality Control, Operation), according to any recorded Standard Operating Procedures or workflow documentation. ________________________________________ FOI Question 5 – Imaging Modalities Please list the imaging modalities used for 3D printing cases (CT, MRI, X-ray), including the approximate usage rate per case where available. ________________________________________ Please provide the information in electronic format where possible. Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response within the statutory 20 working days. If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request. If you can identify any ways that my request could be refined, I would be grateful for any further advice and assistance. If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me via email and I will be very happy to clarify what I am asking for and discuss the request, my details are outlined below. Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

FOI Response

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 517-2025

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

You asked:

For information regarding the use of 3D printing / additive manufacturing in orthopaedic trauma.

Our response:

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust does not provide the service mentioned in your request. Please re-direct your request to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at ghn-tr.foi@nhs.net.

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.