Freedom of Information can expose the gap between story and reality.
The tough line on assaults on staff but low number reported to police. The money promised that’s slow to arrive. Facilities provided but going unused.
Unreported crimes
Sexual assaults on Sussex mental health staff are not being reported to police, according to data exclusively uncovered by the Argus.
As part of a project investigating the levels of violence and abuse NHS staff are forced to endure, the Argus submitted Freedom of Information requests to numerous trusts across Essex, London and Sussex.
Figures released by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust revealed:
- Staff reported 1,143 assaults by patients – more than three per day, on average
- Of those, a maximum of 125 incidents – or 11% – were reported to police
- Staff reported sexual assaults in 11 out of 12 months, but the precise numbers were not provided
- A minimum of 11 sexual assaults were logged by staff but then never reported to police
Never events
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust had 44 patient safety incidents involving a physician associate (PA) or anaesthesia associate (AA) in the last five years, with almost half of those occurring in the last two years, data from a freedom of information request has revealed.
These incidents are classified by the NHS as ‘never events’ which are serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if healthcare providers follow established guidelines and safety recommendations, according to NHS England.
Age mistakes
The Home Office wrongly placed hundreds of lone child asylum seekers in adult asylum accommodation such as hotels last year before they were later found to be under 18, The i Paper can reveal.
At least 678 child asylum seekers were initially classed as adults before being referred to councils and then found to be children, according to data collected from local authorities under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.
This accounted for more than half (56 per cent) of total referrals sent for age reassessment.
Lone children would have been forced to share rooms with adult strangers, potentially leaving them open to abuse, according to the Helen Bamber Foundation, which obtained the data.
Missing money
A chief executive in charge of seven Essex hospitals has called on the government to clarify if it will receive almost £100m of promised funding.
The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) secured funds of £118m after being formed from three separate trusts in 2017.
It was earmarked for expanding capacity and carrying out a major reconfiguration of acute care services within MSE, which manages hospitals including in Chelmsford, Southend and Basildon.
However, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) has obtained information via a freedom of information request – seen by the BBC – which shows just £21.9m of that total has been released so far.
Prolific offenders
The nation’s worst teenage tearaway was nicked by police 153 times before his 18th birthday. A Sun on Sunday probe found there are 25 child criminals who have been arrested 50 times or more.
The Sun on Sunday made Freedom of Information requests to all 43 police forces in England and Wales. Several said they were unable to reply due to data protection, while at least four — including London’s Met — had no kids arrested more than 50 times.
Smoking in taxis
Birmingham City Council issued 48 fines to taxi drivers in the city for smoking in their cabs during the last tax year, according to new research.
Freedom of Information requests were submitted to UK councils to find out which local authority issued the highest number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for smoking in a licensed taxi.
Underused toilets
Council leaders say a £190,000 refurbishment of town centre toilets was vital for regeneration despite an average of seven visitors a day in the first four months.
According to a Freedom of Information request to South Kesteven District Council by resident Jim Howarth, there were 855 paid visits to Grantham’s Conduit Lane toilets between the reopening on January 27 and the end of May.
The busiest day was April 7 when the Mid-Lent Fair was on, when 31 people paid a visit.
Several days recorded zero usage.
Missed bin collections
Record numbers of households in Scotland’s biggest city are being left with unemptied refuse bins, according to shock new figures.
Figures released by Glasgow City Council show that 46,074 missed bin collections were recorded across the city in 2024-25. This was up from 35,088 in 2021/23, 25,678 in 2022/23 and 36,100 in 2023/24.
At present collections are being missed in the city at the rate of around 900 a week. There have been almost 150,000 missed refuse collections across the city – 142,944 – in the last four years.
Felled trees
Protected trees are being felled as a “cheap and easy option” in subsidence claims, an arboricultural group has said.
The London Tree Officers Association (LTOA) said trees were being felled across the country because councils were afraid of being liable for expensive property repairs.
The BBC analysed 143 Freedom of Information request responses from councils in England. Of those, 10 directly provided figures for the financial years between 2019 and 2024, showing permission was granted to fell 1,403 previously protected trees.
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