Thank you for your email received by us on 19 July 2017 asking for information about the number of medical emergencies on the London Underground over the past 12 months.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked for the following:

Please could you provide a breakdown of the number of medical emergencies on the London Underground over the past 12 months?

Could I have this data broken down by week?

Could I have this data broken down by the cause of the medical emergency?

Could you provide the top 10 days with the highest number of medical emergencies recorded on the London Underground?

Unfortunately we are unable to answer your request because we do not hold a data category of “Medical emergency”. We do hold daily reports of instances where an ambulance was requested. However, a sample review of the data shows that sometimes the member of the public walked away before the ambulance arrived. In many instances the individual is recorded as having been treated on site as they did not require hospital treatment.

The reason for the ambulance being called is not always recorded, and no standard categorisation is used, with many cases categorised as “unwell”, therefore we can’t determine whether these were emergencies, or provide a breakdown of the cause, however although the reasons for these calls include accidents, they are more frequently because of existing medical issues, such as heart conditions, pregnancy related matters, epileptic episodes and so on.

Furthermore, some of the daily reports contain details of pre-existing conditions, which, when combined with the recorded information about the time, location, person’s age and gender could lead to some individuals being identified. This means that we are unable to disclose the reports without review and redaction of approximately one thousand pages of information.

As information of medical emergencies is held by the London Ambulance Service, you may wish to contact them directly via their website at:

http://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/talking_with_us/freedom_of_information/introduction_and_guide_to_the.aspx

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London