Information request for the number of complaints PHSO has received and investigated since January 2013 about doctors sexually abusing patients
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request dated 26 May 2015 in which you asked for the number of complaints we have received and investigated since 2013 of doctors sexually abusing a patient.
The role of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is to investigate complaints where individuals have been treated unfairly or have received poor service from government departments and other public organisations and the NHS in England. We have no powers to determine that a crime has been committed. If you would like to read our guidance on what happens when we receive a complaint please see How we deal with complaints.
We collate casework performance and themes data from information held on our case management system (VisualFiles). Common themes such as the nature of the complaint or the type of NHS service being complained about are captured by 'keywords' which are added to cases when they are closed. The attached document is an annex to our Casework Policy and Guidance which sets out the types of keywords we use for complaints about the health service.
Unfortunately we do not hold the data you have requested because whilst we have a keyword for 'abuse (physical /verbal)' we do not have a specific keyword for sexual abuse. Since January 2013 there have been 24 cases accepted for investigation where the keyword 'abuse (physical /verbal)' has been used. Of those only one had a complaint element of sexual abuse by another service user. None of the complaints were in relation to a doctor sexually abusing a patient.
The only way to establish the exact number of complaints we investigated of doctors sexually abusing a patient, we would need to carry out a manual search of our case files which would exceed the cost limit exemption at section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. For PHSO, the cost limit for responding to FOI requests is set at 18 hours or £450 at £25 per hour. In the business year 2013/14 we accepted 3,900 cases for investigation (please see page 13 of the 2013/14 Annual Report for figures) and we would need more than five minutes to manually check each and every case.
You may wish to contact the Health and Social Care Information Centre to see if they hold the information you require as they collate data on written complaints across the NHS.
I hope the information is helpful.
FOI/DP Officer
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman