FOI686 – FOI request concerningoccupancy levels

I can confirm that Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust holds some of the information you requested. Please see our responses below to your Freedom of Information request:

  1. Please list the average bed occupancy of your adult acute admission wards for each month from April 2012 to date. Please provide separate figures showing occupancy including leave and occupancy excluding leave for each month. Please note: this question relates to wards used for acute mental health admissions only.

Please refer to the attached bed occupancy data spreadsheet in response to this element of the request.

  1. Has your trust closed any beds between April 2013 and August 2014? If so, please provide the number and type of beds (e.g. acute admission, rehab, PICU).

There have been temporary bed closures on occasions (e.g. for refurbishment) but no permanent bed closures. Details of temporary bed closures are included in the monthly report referred to in Q3 below.

  1. Since April 2012, has your trust conducted any analysis of local bed pressures? If yes, please provide this report or reports.

Bed pressures and occupancy are monitored daily and analysed monthly. A monthly report is submitted for discussion at the Mental Health Divisional Service Board (previously Service Delivery and Development Group). Please find attached a divisional view of the bed pressures report. However, area views are also made available to our teams to support operational management. Please note in this report that the denominator for occupancy excludes contingency beds and extra-contractual referrals (ECRs) hence a figure > 100% in some cases.

  1. Please provide copies of your service’s annual Mental Health Act (also known as Mental Health Law) monitoring reports for 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14.

The Trust monitors its use of the Mental Health Act regularly and routinely via key meetings such as the Quality Improvement & Development Forum, the Mental Health Act monitoring group and through audit. Reports are produced quarterly to advise on Mental Health Act quality matters and provide assurance that robust measures are either in place or are being developed where necessary. An example of the last Quality Improvement & Development report attached with this response for your attention and information.

  1. Have your officials written to NHS England, the CQC or the Department of Health to make them aware of bed pressures your trust is experiencing? If so, please attach a copy of the letter.

The Trust has not written to the parties referred to above. We do, however, advise our Commissioners about occupancy levels via monthly contract monitoring meetings.

Freedom of Information, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

6 Sterne Road, Tatchbury Mount, Calmore, Hampshire, SO40 2RZ

Email: , Tel. (02380) 874662