Referrals, Appointments, Deaths, Adult MH patients 2014-2024,

Reference: 24-25473

Date response sent: 25/02/2025

Details of enquiry

1. How many adults were referred to your mental health service in the following years: 2014-2024
2. How many adults were treated at your mental health service in the following years: 2014-2024
3. How many adults  treated at your service ended their own lives in the following years: 2014-2024

Response sent

1. How many adults were referred to your mental health service in the following years: 2014-2024

2. How many adults were treated at your mental health service in the following years: 2014-2024

3. How many adults  treated at your service ended their own lives in the following years: 2014-2024

The Trust confirms that it does not hold a validated register nor validated tally of suicides by year.

As a provider of national non-acute outpatient services, we would not be in a position to always know and/or always be notified when or how a patient died, and, where received, this would often be quite belated.  All patient deaths notified to us are reported, as a ‘Serious Incident’.

The Trust’s mortality data, where held, is publicly available on our website in its Annual Report and Accounts, Quarterly Board Meeting papers, and FOI Disclosure Log –(all are word searchable and publicly available via the links below:

Search results are obtainable by conducting a word search (CTRL+F) for the following key words; “death”, “mortality”, “suicide”

1. Tavistock and Portman Annual Report & Accounts many may include Quality Accounts Section
2. Tavistock and Portman Quality Accounts where produced as a separate document
3. Tavistock and Portman Board meetings and board papers on the pages listed below.
4. Tavistock and Portman Freedom of Information Disclosure Log

Any recently received updates since publication are withheld from disclosure for now, under s22 of FOIA 2000 – and intended for future publication, in one or more of the above publications.

The next edition of the annual report and accounts for 2024/25 will be published around Summer/Autumn 2025, subject to its completion date and having been laid before Parliament.

Other Publicly Available Sources

The Trust recognises that the information you have requested might already be in the public domain, published under a different legal framework.

1. Local authorities generally provide access to social care records through FOIA
2. Coroners publish names of deceased, post inquest and linked to a Prevention of Future Deaths report – does not cover all deaths

• Reports to Prevent Future Deaths – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (searchable by deceased’s name, and includes where an organisation may have responded)

1. Reg 28 Reports Tracker Database – Preventable Deaths Tracker (searchable by Trust)

Exemption Engaged under s22 of FOIA – Held for future publication

The Trust may hold more recently received data to that listed in points a) to d) above.

Under section 22 of FOIA 2000 the Trust is not obliged to release information intended for future publication, subject to the balance of weight of public interest test arguments.

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure:

• Disclosure would provide increased transparency via an early release of data
• Disclosure of the information under FOIA would be consistent with the Trust’s intentions to proactively release data on matters of a wider public interest.

Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information:

• Whilst there is a public interest in providing information quickly, this needs to be balanced against ensuring simultaneous data access by the general public rather than piecemeal by disclosure to a small number of applicants under FOIA.
• Adhering to the Trust’s publication schedules, ensures pre-publication time for verification checks prior to public release of the data held
• It is in the public interest that the Trust’s quality assurance process concludes before public release to ensure confidence and accuracy.

Balance of Weight

We have concluded that, on balance, the public interest is in withholding this information.