Please provide ECT information under the FOI act to the following questions: -
1. Please supply patient’s information ECT leaflet.
Our Trust provides patients with the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ patient information leaflet which is publically available[1]. Please follow this link 1
2. Please supply patient ECT consent form.
Please see attached our Consent to Examination, Care and Treatment Policy.
3. Please supply any ECT reports/investigations
We have considered the information you require, and the data constitutes personal information. Therefore, we have applied S40 to this part of your request as the potential to identify individual(s) will constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act (2018)[2].
4. How many ECT in 2024?
Please follow this link to FOI/05658 where this was previously answered1 .
5. What proportion of patients were men/women?
6. How old were they?
7. What proportion of patients were classified people of the global majority or racialised communities ("POC / BAME")?
8. How many people covered by the equality act - specific protected characteristics - excluding age + gender - received ECT?
9. How many were offered talking therapy prior to ECT?
10. How many were receiving ECT for the first time?
11. How many patients consented to ECT?
12. How many ECT complaints were investigated outside the NHS?
13. How many patients died during or 1 month after ECT and what was the cause (whether or not ECT was considered the cause)?
14. How many patients died within 6 months after ECT and what was the cause (whether or not ECT was considered the cause)?
15. How many patients died by suicide within 6 months of receiving ECT (whether or not ECT was considered the cause)?
21. Have MRI or CT scans been used before and after ECT?
22. If so, what was the conclusion?
It is not possible to provide you with the above requested breakdown of ECT information within the legal time limit[3] .
In order to provide you with this information would involve manually reviewing the 60 records. It is estimated that it would take 24 minutes (i.e. 2 minutes per question) to scrutinise each record i.e. 24 hours @ £25 = £600.00
Under section 12 of the FOIA a public authority does not have to comply with a request for information if the cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate limit.
16. How many patients have suffered complications during and after ECT and what were those complications?
0
17. Have there been any formal complaints from patients/relatives about ECT?
None
18. If so, what was their concerns?
None
19. How many patients report memory loss/loss of cognitive function?
During the period March 2024 – April 2025, 29 patients received ECT and according to the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) - the subjective memory assessment is performed after each treatment and 13 patients reported forgetfulness or occasional lapses of memory.
20. What tests are used to assess memory loss/loss of cognitive function?
The tests used to assess cognitive functioning are the following:
1. Mini mental state examination (MMSE)
2. Comprehensive Psychopathalogical Rating Scale (CPRS)
3. Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)
4. The Subjective Memory Questionnaire (SMQ)
23. How does the Trust plan to prevent ECT in the future
ECT is a safe and effective treatment which saves lives and therefore the Trust does not plan to stop ECT being administered in the future
Please provide restraints information under the FOI act to the following questions:
24. Please supply any Restraints/investigations
Please refer to the answer to question 3. We have applied S40 to this part of your request2.
24. How many RESTRAINTS in 2024?
666
26. What proportion of patients were men/women?
27. How old were they?
28. What proportion of patients were classified people of the global majority or racialised communities ("POC / BAME")?
29. How many people covered by the equality act - specific protected characteristics - excluding age + gender - were restrained?
30. How many RESTRAINTS were investigated outside the NHS
31. How many patients died during or 1 month after RESTRAINTS and what was the cause (whether or not RESTRAINTS was considered the cause)?
32. How many patients died within 6 months after RESTRAINTS and what was the cause (whether or not RESTRAINTS was considered the cause)?
33. How many patients died by suicide within 6 months of receiving RESTRAINTS (whether or not RESTRAINTS was considered the cause)?
34. How many patients have suffered complications during and after RESTRAINTS and what were those complications?
35. Are counts of forced injections available? if so how many people were forcible injected ?
36. 15.How does the Trust plan to reduce restraints in the future?
37. 16.How many of these restraints were face down restraints? None
It is not possible to provide you with the above requested breakdown of restraint information within the legal time limit 3.
In order to provide you with this information would involve manually reviewing the 1,936 records. It is estimated that it would take 22 minutes (2 minutes per question) to scrutinise each record i.e. 709.86 hours @ £25 = £17,746.66.
Under section 12 of the FOIA a public authority does not have to comply with a request for information if the cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate limit.
38. Have there been any formal complaints from patients/relatives about RESTRAINTS?
Yes
38. If so, what was their concerns
Providing this level of breakdown in information could potentially lead to the identification of an individual or individuals, therefore we have again applied S40(2).
39. How does the Trust plan to reduce restraints in the future?
· The primary objective is to facilitate cultural change by guiding services toward a more Human Rights-oriented approach in managing Restrictive Practices. This strategy emphasises person-centred care, prioritising the least restrictive alternatives, and consistently promoting proactive prevention.
· This involves fostering a culture that fully appreciates how Human Rights principles shape our support for individuals within our services, as well as reducing reliance on Enhanced Observations across the Trust. We aim to develop effective tools and leadership to promote connection, trust, and ensure that all interactions with those under observation are both meaningful and recovery focused. Evidence indicates that such an approach can reduce incidents of distress and overwhelm among those observed, thereby decreasing the need for physical intervention or seclusion. Additionally, we value the contribution of individuals with lived experience in enhancing our understanding during reviews of observation and restrictive practice procedures.
· The RRP Lead will oversee services utilising seclusion and long-term segregation, providing practice leadership and guidance to relevant teams. Where Long-Term Segregation (LTS) is authorised, the team will be supported to undertake the HOPE(s) Clinical two-day training, which centres on a person-centred, human rights-based methodology for safely transitioning people from highly restrictive environments. This process will be led by the RRP Lead, and every individual in LTS will undergo a Segregation Audit to ensure adherence to best practice and a Human Rights framework.
Please provide SECLUSION information under the FOI act to the following questions: -
40. Please supply any SECLUSION reports/investigations
Please refer to the answer to question 3. We have applied S40 to this part of your request2.
41. How many SECLUSIONS in 2024?
236
42. What proportion of patients were men/women?
43. How old were they?
44. What proportion of patients were classified
45. What proportion of patients were classified people of the global majority or racialised communities ("POC / BAME")?
46. How many people covered by the equality act - specific protected characteristics - excluding age + gender - were secluded?
47. How many SECLUSIONS were investigated outside the NHS?
48. How many patients died during 1 month after SECLUSION and what was the cause (whether or not SECLUSION was considered the cause)?
49. How many patients died within 6 months after SECLUSION and what was the cause (whether or not SECLUSION was considered the cause)?
50. How many patients died by suicide within 6 months of receiving SECLUSION (whether or not SECLUSION was considered the cause)?
51. How many patients have suffered complications during and after SECLUSION and what were those complications?
It is not possible to provide you with the above requested breakdown of seclusion information within the legal time limit 3.
To provide you with this information would involve manually reviewing the 355 records. It is estimated that it would take 22 minutes (2 minutes per question) to scrutinise each record i.e. 130.16 hours @ £25 = £3,254.16.
Under section 12 of the FOIA a public authority does not have to comply with a request for information if the cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate limit.
52. Have there been any formal complaints from patients/relatives about SECLUSION?
None
53. If so, what was their concerns?
Not applicable.
54. How does the Trust plan to prevent SECLUSION in the future?
Please see response to question 39 above
Please provide MEDICATION ERRORS information under the FOI act to the following questions: -
55. Please supply any MEDICATION ERRORS reports/investigations
Please refer to the answer to question 3. We have applied S40 to this part of your request2.
56. How many MEDICATION ERRORS in 2024?
In 2024, there were 699 reported medication errors.
57. What proportion of patients were men/women?
58. How old were they?
59. What proportions of patients were classified people of the global majority or racialised communities (‘POC /BAME’)?
60. How many people covered the equality act -specified protected characteristics – excluding age + gender – endured medication errors?
61. How many MEDICATION ERRORS were investigated outside the NHS?
62. How many patients died during or 1 month after MEDICATION ERRORS and what was the cause (whether or not MEDICATION ERRORS was considered the cause)?
63. How many patients died within 6 months after MEDICATION ERRORS and what was the cause (whether or not MEDICATION ERRORS was considered the cause)?
64. How many patients died by suicide within 6 months of receiving MEDICATION ERRORS (whether or not MEDICATION ERRORS was considered the cause)?
65. How many patients have suffered complications during and after MEDICATION ERRORS and what were those complications?
It is not possible to provide you with the above requested breakdown of medication error information within the legal time limit 3.
In order to provide you with this information would involve manually reviewing the 618 medication incidents. It is estimated that it would take 22 minutes (2 minutes per question) minutes to scrutinise each record i.e. 226.60 hours @ £25 = £5,665.00.
Under section 12 of the FOIA a public authority does not have to comply with a request for information if the cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate limit.
66. Have there been any formal complaints from patients/relatives about MEDICATION ERRORS?
67. If so, what was their concerns?
None
68. How does the Trust plan to prevent MEDICATION ERRORS in the future?
Please see attached our Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) Policy.
Kind Regards
Deborah Anthony
Deborah Anthony
Information Rights & Compliance Team
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust