Freedom of Information Request: 0185 2019/20

Would you please be able to provide the following information regarding appointments and / or consultations that are held in private settings (i.e. not settings where there is the potential for a breach of other patient’s confidentiality (e.g. group therapy sessions or bays in accident and emergency departments)):

Please note, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) completed a merger by acquisition of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) on 1st April 2018.   UHB includes Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Solihull Hospital and Community Services, Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham Chest Clinic. Policies and procedures are in the process of being aligned. The responses have been provided separately for Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) and Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals, Community Services and Chest Clinic (HGS)

1.  Does your Trust allow patients and / or their nominated representatives to make audio recordings of their appointments and / or consultations with a member of staff when they ask the staff member if it is acceptable to do so? Yes
2. Could you please provide the name(s) of the policy / policies and a copy of the specific section of the policy / policies that is used to inform staff of the policy / policies when a patient and / or their nominated representatives requests to audio record their appointment / consultation? HGS: Personal Mobile Phone Usage Procedure (Visitors, Patients, Public and Staff) QEHB: There is currently not a policy or procedure in place
3. Does your Trust allow patients and / or their nominated representatives to make video recordings of their appointments and / or consultations with a member of staff when they ask the staff member if it is acceptable to do so? Yes
4. Could you please provide the name(s) of the policy / policies and a copy of the specific section of the policy / policies that is used to inform staff of the policy / policies when a patient and / or their nominated representatives requests to video record their appointment / consultation? HGS: Personal Mobile Phone Usage Procedure (Visitors, Patients, Public and Staff) Personal Mobile Phone Usage Procedure (Visitors, Patients, Public and Staff) HGS QEHB: There is currently not a policy or procedure in place
5. Does your Trust allow patients and / or their nominated representatives to make audio recordings of their appointments and / or consultations with a member of staff without informing the member of staff about it (i.e. a covert recording)? The Trust has limited jurisdiction to prevent members of the public from using their mobile phones.
6. Could you please provide the name(s) of the policy / policies and a copy of the specific section of the policy / policies that is used to inform staff of the policy / policies if they discover a patient and / or their nominated representatives has audio recorded their appointment / consultation covertly? HGS: Personal Mobile Phone Usage Procedure (Visitors, Patients, Public and Staff) QEHB: There is currently not a policy or procedure in place
7. Does your Trust allow patients and / or their nominated representatives to make video recordings of their appointments and / or consultations with a member of staff without informing the member of staff about it (i.e. a covert recording)? The Trust has limited jurisdiction to prevent members of the public from using their mobile phones
8. Could you please provide the name(s) of the policy / policies and a copy of the specific section of the policy / policies that is used to inform staff of the policy / policies if they discover a patient and / or their nominated representatives has video recorded their appointment / consultation covertly? HGS: Personal Mobile Phone Usage Procedure (Visitors, Patients, Public and Staff) QEHB: There is currently not a policy or procedure in place
9. Should your Trust’s policies not allow patients and / or their nominated to make audio and / or video recordings (having informed the member of staff and / or covertly) of their appointments and / or consultations could you please provide a copy of your Trust’s policies regarding what procedures should be followed by both members of the Trust’s staff and the patient and / or their nominated representatives where there may be a specific need for the patient and / or their nominated representatives to audio and / or video record their appointments and / or consultations (e.g. medical issues such as dementia, the patient having nobody available to act as an advocate for them or any other need identified by the patient and / or their nominated representatives)? HGS: Personal Mobile Phone Usage Procedure (Visitors, Patients, Public and Staff) QEHB: There is currently not a policy or procedure in place
10. Could you please provide a copy of the impact assessment undertaken of the policy / policies cited in response to question 9? At the time this procedure was developed, an impact assessment was not required for procedures. In line with UHB policy, an assessment will be completed when the procedure is revised
11. Should your Trust’s policies not allow patients and / or their nominated representatives to make audio and / or video recordings (having informed the member of staff and / or covertly) of their appointments and / or consultations could you please provide a copy of the information that staff can give to the patient and / or their nominated representatives explaining why it is not allowed? We do not hold a document as described above
12. Should your Trust’s policies state that it is for the staff member to decide whether they are prepared to allow appointments and / or consultations to be audio and / or video recorded by the patient and / or their nominated representatives could you please provide the name(s) of the policy / policies and a copy of the specific section of the policy / policies that states what procedures should be followed by both members of the Trust’s staff and the patient and / or their nominated representatives when the member of staff states they are not prepared to be audio and / or video recorded but the patient and / or their nominated representatives are insistent on doing so? Not Applicable (see above)
13. Should your Trust have no policy regarding the situations as detailed in questions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 12 could you please detail what procedures should be followed by both members of the Trust’s staff and the patient and / or their nominated representatives should any of the situations detailed occur? We currently do not have a procedure in place at QEHB.