MH Patient deaths from Diabetes Complications 2014 to 2024

Reference: 25-26088

Date response sent: 04/06/2025

Details of enquiry

I would like to make a freedom of information request for the following:

The number of mentally unwell people in your care that have died from diabetes complications from 2014 – 2024. If you do not have these records then please direct me to the government department that does if possible.

Response sent

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust provides outpatient, and mainly psychological services via talking therapies. We are a small specialist NHS mental health trust with a focus on training and education, as well as providing a full range of mental health services and therapies for children and their families, young people and adults.

The Trust confirms that it does not hold the data requested.

The Trust does not hold a deaths register, and does not have the means to extrapolate which nor how many, if any, deaths were due to diabetes complications for the period 2014 – 2024, as we are dependent on receiving mortality data volunteered from third party agencies, which is inconsistent in its provision, and often quite belated.

As a provider of national non-acute outpatient services for mental health, we would not always be the best placed to confirm mortality data, as we are not in a position to always know and/or be notified when or how a patient has died. This is because the specialist nature of our services usually requires patients to be open to another mental health or other health services provider who would lead on their care coordination.

The Trust cannot confirm who would hold this data, but in November 2024 NHS England produced a publicly available report Complications and Mortality Outcomes dashboard, 2009-2023 – NHS England Digital as part of the national Diabetes Audit which may be of interest to you, or otherwise reach out to NHS England who may be able to steer you further – the NHS England FOI team may be contacted via england.contactus@nhs.net.

Alternatively you may wish to contact those NHS Trusts which provide acute and inpatient services, as described on their website under service provision details.