Document is current

Article History

Received: 30 July 2025

Accepted: 5 February 2026

First Online: 14 March 2026

Declarations

:

: This study was conducted as a retrospective service evaluation using routinely collected and fully anonymised clinical data. Approval for data access and use was granted by the Caldicott Guardian via the Information Governance & Cyber Assurance team at NHS Tayside (Ref: IGTCAL-2025-032). In line with guidance from the UK Health Research Authority (HRA), this project did not require review by a Research Ethics Committee (REC), as it did not involve any change to standard patient care, randomisation, or prospective data collection. This determination aligns with the HRA’s “Defining Research” guidance and online decision tool, which confirm that service evaluations using anonymised, routinely collected data fall outside the remit of NHS REC approval requirements (HRA Decision Tool: ). As the study used anonymised retrospective data with no patient contact or intervention, individual informed consent was not required under UK data protection law and HRA policy. All data were processed in accordance with institutional governance protocols and relevant data protection regulations, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.