Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 183-2026
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.
You asked:
Workplace drug and alcohol testing arrangements for its own employees and contractors
1. Does Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust conduct drug and/or alcohol testing on its own employees or contractors — whether as part of pre-employment screening, random testing, for-cause testing, or post-incident testing?
Our response:
No. Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust does not conduct drug and/or alcohol testing on its own employees or contractors.
You asked:
2. If yes, what testing method(s) are used (e.g. urine immunoassay, oral fluid screening, hair analysis, blood testing, breathalyser)?
3. What cut-off threshold(s) and confirmation standard(s) are applied?
Please specify the screening and confirmatory cut-offs for THC/cannabis metabolites in particular, and the analytical standard followed (e.g. EWDTS, SAMHSA/US-DOT, manufacturer default).
4. What safeguards are in place for employees who may test positive due to:
(a) Use of lawful, commercially available CBD products (which may contain trace THC below the 0.2% legal limit)
(b) Prescribed medication (e.g. Sativex, Epidiolex, or other cannabinoid-based medicines)
(c) Passive or environmental exposure
Specifically, does the process include review by an independent Medical Review Officer (MRO) or equivalent qualified professional before any disciplinary action is taken?
5. How many employees have been subject to disciplinary action or dismissal based wholly or partly on a positive drug test result in the last three years? Of those, how many involved cannabis/THC as the substance detected?
6. Has Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust received any formal grievances, complaints, or employment tribunal claims relating to its drug testing procedures or outcomes in the last three years? If so, how many, and what was the general nature of the complaint?
7. Please provide a copy of your current drug and alcohol testing policy (or the relevant sections of your wider HR/disciplinary policy that govern drug and alcohol testing), together with any associated guidance issued to managers or employees.
Our response:
The Trust does not conduct drug and/or alcohol testing on its own employees or contractors. Consequently, It does not hold information relating to testing methods, thresholds, safeguards, or disciplinary actions arising from workplace drug and alcohol testing (questions 2 to 5).
In relation to Question 6, the Trust is not aware of any formal grievances, complaints or employment tribunal claims concerning workplace drug drug and/or alcohol testing procedures, as no such testing is undertaken by the Trust.
In response to question 7, the Trust does not hold a specific drug and alcohol testing policy or associated testing guidance. However, the relevant section of the Trust’s HR Manual relating to alcohol and drug misuse is available here: Alcohol and Drug Misuse – Alcohol and Drug Misuse
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.