FOI 26-153 Chaperoning Policy
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 26-153 Chaperoning Policy
- Request Date
- 17 Mar 2026
- Response Date
- 10 Apr 2026
- Information Requested
Please provide the following information on NHS chaperone policies, training and reporting:
1) Current chaperone policy or policies relating the use of formal and informal chaperones.
2) Associated procedures & guidelines including:
a) Guidance on how the offer, acceptance, or refusal of a chaperone must be recorded in patient notes.
b) Guidance on how the sex of the chaperone is recorded.
3) If your policy/procedures/guidelines have been withdrawn, please provide:
a) the most recent version.
b) the date it was placed under review or withdrawn.
c) the communications with staff when it was put under review or withdrawn.
d) the timetable for development and approval of any replacement policy
e) details of internal and external consultation lists.
4) If not included in the policy/procedures/guidelines, please also disclose:
a) training and competency standards for staff acting as formal chaperones.
b) training description and provision for chaperones (eg online, in person, what organisations delivers the training and outline).
5) Audit reports, quality assurance reviews, compliance monitoring, and management and/or board reports relating to chaperoning 2024 to date.
6) Related equality impact assessments (EIAs) if separate
7) Datix reports:
a) Number of Datix reports raised related to chaperoning in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb, by sex of patient and chaperone & definition of sex field in Datix.
b) If you record this data by gender, please disclose the Number of Datix reports raised related to chaperoning in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb, by gender of patient and chaperone and definition of gender field in Datix.
8) Concerns:
a) Number of concerns raised by chaperones, if not recorded via Datix, in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb, by sex of patient and chaperone & definition of sex field.
b) If you record this data by gender, please disclose the number of concerns raised by chaperones in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb, by gender of patient and chaperone and definition of gender field.
9) Complaints:
a) Number of complaints raised related to chaperoning in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb, by sex of patient and chaperone & definition of sex field in your complaints system.
b) If you record this data by gender, please disclose the number of complaints raised related to chaperoning in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb, by gender of patient and chaperone and definition of gender field in your complaints system.
c) Number of Freedom to Speak Up reports related to chaperones in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb by sex of the reporter.
d) If you record this data by gender, please disclose the number of cFTSU reports related to chaperoning in 2024, 2025 and 2026 Jan & Feb, by gender of the reporter.
Redactions
If it is necessary for any reason to redact any information, please redact the minimum necessary and send me the rest of the material, explaining the legal grounds for each redaction.- Response
Please note when interpreting this response. The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold a chaperone policy. The information provided below has been extracted from internal guidance which has recently been updated in 2026.
2) Associated procedures & guidelines including:
a) Guidance on how the offer, acceptance, or refusal of a chaperone must be recorded in patient notes.This is covered in informed consent and recording sections of the guidance
- b) Guidance on how the sex of the chaperone is recorded.
The Scottish Ambulance Service doesn’t have any recorded guidance on how the sex of a chaperone is recorded. Offering same sex chaperone is mentioned in the guidance, including the right of the patient to informed consent, right to refuse or defer examinations.
Q3A-Q3F) This is not applicable. The most recent guidance has been provided and has not been withdrawn from use.
4) If not included in the policy/procedures/guidelines, please also disclose:
a) training and competency standards for staff acting as formal chaperones.
b) training description and provision for chaperones (eg online, in person, what organisations delivers the training and outline).the Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold centrally recorded information describing specific training provision for chaperones (for example, whether training is delivered online or in person, which organisation delivers it, or an outline of its content). While staff may receive broader professional, safeguarding, or clinical training relevant to their roles, this is not recorded or structured as chaperone‑specific training.
5) Audit reports, quality assurance reviews, compliance monitoring, and management and/or board reports relating to chaperoning 2024 to date.
The Service does not undertake stand‑alone audit activity, quality assurance reviews, compliance monitoring, or routine management or Board‑level reporting specifically focused on chaperoning arrangements. As a result, there are no dedicated audit reports, QA reviews, compliance monitoring outputs, or management/Board reports relating solely to chaperoning for the period requested.
6) Related equality impact assessments (EIAs) if separate
The Scottish Ambulance Service did not undertake a separate Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) in relation to the guideline referenced.
Q7 – The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold any datasets, reporting categories, or mandatory classification fields that allow incidents to be identified or isolated as relating specifically to chaperoning. Consequently, it is not possible to identify the number of Datix reports related to chaperoning for the periods requested.
As chaperoning‑related incidents cannot be separately identified, the Service is also unable to provide any breakdown by sex or gender of patients or chaperones in relation to chaperoning incidents.
In addition, as no chaperoning‑specific dataset exists, there are no applicable definitions of sex or gender fields within Datix that relate specifically to chaperoning incidents.
In line with section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the information requested at parts (a) and (b) is therefore not held.
Q8 - The Service does not hold any datasets, reporting categories, or mandatory identifiers that allow concerns raised by chaperones to be recorded, extracted, or reported as a distinct category separate from other types of concerns. As a result, SAS is unable to identify or quantify concerns that relate specifically to chaperoning, whether by year or by any other characteristic.
Consequently, the Service is also unable to provide breakdowns by sex or gender of patients or chaperones, or provide definitions of sex or gender fields in this context, as no chaperoning‑specific concern data exists.
In line with section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the information requested at Question 8(a) and (b) is therefore not held.
Q9 - Neither the Service’s complaints handling systems nor its Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) reporting arrangements include datasets, coding structures, or reporting categories that allow complaints or FTSU reports to be identified or reported as relating specifically to chaperoning.
As chaperoning‑related complaints or FTSU reports cannot be separately distinguished from other matters, the Service is unable to provide any figures for the periods requested, or any breakdowns by sex or gender of patients, chaperones, or reporters. For the same reason, no chaperoning‑specific definitions of sex or gender fields apply.
In line with section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the information requested at Question 9(a)–(d) is therefore not held.
- Response Documents
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SAS 18MAR26 SAS0980 Chaperone Guidance Watermark (PDF | 159KB)
