Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 184407 on Patients: Personal Property, if the NHS will put in place additional procedures to ensure the protection of the personal effects of (a) vulnerable inpatients and (b) patients with dementia.

Guidance has been provided to National Health Service organisations in England on the secure management of all patients' property. This includes the process for documenting patients’ property, transferring patients and discharging patients.

Patients should be advised of their rights and responsibilities with respect to property taken onto the NHS organisations premises.

In addition to the information provided in the previous answer, NHS England is actively engaged with the Department and other key stakeholders in drafting the user guidance stemming from the Mental Capacity Act (Amendment) Bill. This is likely to contain information on the handling of personal effects for those patients without mental capacity and will be cascaded to all NHS Standard Contract holders once finalised. Further information is available on NHS England’s website at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/safeguarding/our-work/adult-network/

NHS England together with the Department have also published guidance to support implementation of the ‘red bag’ scheme which supports an efficient and safe transfer process from care home to hospital, while also ensuring greater protection for residents’ personal items. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/quick-guide-redbag-hospital-transfer-v1.pdf