Dear Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust,
I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the Trust’s use of specific patient monitoring technology.
1. Does the Trust currently use, or have formal plans to trial or implement, a Non-Visual Patient Safety Aid (NVPSA) – for example, Safehinge Primera’s “Project X”, “Smart Ward” or other radar-based motion tracking – within ward bedrooms, Section 136 suites, and/or seclusion rooms?
2. If the response to the above question is ‘yes’, please provide the following information:
2.1. The number of wards, 136 suites, and seclusion rooms where the technology is deployed (please provide ward names and type of ward).
2.2. The current Policy or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) governing the use of this technology, including details of your consent process.
2.3. The Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).
2.4. The Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA).
2.5. The Clinical Safety Case Report and Clinical Hazard Log (as required by DCB0129/DCB0160 standards). Please also provide a copy of any entries on the Trust’s Organisational Risk Register that relate to “transferred risks” or residual risks identified during the deployment of this technology.
2.6. The contract start and end dates for the current provision.
2.7. Minutes of meetings where the decision to adopt, trial, continue, expand, or cease the use of the technology was made, including the rationale for the decision.
2.8. Copies of patient-facing information, such as posters, leaflets, or privacy notices provided to service users and carers.
2.9. Copies of all staff training materials or presentation slides relating to the use of NVPSA, including details of the Trust’s competency assurance framework, the mandated frequency of refresher training and the compliance rate (percentage of staff on the relevant wards who have completed training).
3. Please provide all recorded information relating to regulatory compliance, including:
3.1. Any internal audit, gap analysis, or briefing paper that demonstrates how the use of NVPSA technology complies with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published guide on “Digital contactless patient monitoring technologies in mental health in-patient services”.
3.2. Evidence (e.g. a compliance statement or committee minute) showing how the deployment of this monitoring technology aligns with the NHS England’s “Principles for using digital technologies in mental health inpatient treatment and care”.
If you feel a Section 40 (Personal Information) or Section 43 (Commercial Interests) exemption applies to any part of this request, please provide a redacted version of the documents rather than a blanket refusal, and include the required public interest test for any qualified exemptions.
Yours faithfully,