NHS Marketisation Monitoring News

Issue #2 (20/10/2014)
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Welcome!
This newsletter aims to update its readers on the latest news on the marketisation of services within the
NHS. A database of all 147 NHS Foundation Trusts has been created and FoI requests, on the out-sourcing
of contracts, has been made to each Trust. The newsletter will be published weekly and it will list the latest
information received from Trusts.
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Summary
When making a FoI request, details are sought of all contracted-out services. This includes maintenance,
domestic, clinical, administrative, medical, care, consultancy and any other services. Unfortunately, in the
first instance, some Trusts are sending details of maintenance contracts only resulting in further queries.
Trusts are examined to see if they have a publication scheme and disclosure log in place as required by FoI
legislation. Also, Monitor require evidence of transparency of decision-making and this should be evident
on their website (some Trusts are actually using this section to show details of tenders and this should be
considered good practice).
The database is intended to monitor and evaluate:
1. how Trusts respond to FoI requests on marketisation generally;
2. if Trusts are fulfilling the requirements of the FoI Act;
3. whether or not Trusts are observing the guidance on transparency given by HM Treasury and Monitor.
A broad-based collection of data, at a national level, it is hoped can provide a comparative analysis upon
which local and regional activist networks can draw.
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Trust: Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: List of maintenance-related and various ad hoc services
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: Yes
Transparency: No
Action: Query
Trust: South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: Detailed list of 113 contracts awarded (including several contracts awarded for various locums)
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: No
Transparency: No
Action: Need separate spreadsheet of contractors for comparative analysis
Trust: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: We are unable to provide the answer to this question, which we consider to be commercially
sensitive, and therefore exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act
2000.
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: Yes
Transparency: Yes
Action: Query

NHS_Marketisation_News_#1 Dr. Geoffrey A. Walker 01/12/201401/12/2014

Trust: South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Comments: List of maintenance-related contracts
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: Yes
Transparency: No
Action: Query
Trust: Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: Responding to your request would take approximately 20 hours of staff time which would
exceed the 18 hours limit of staff time as laid down in section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act.
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: Yes
Transparency: No
Action: Query. It is not a request for financial information. It is a request for a list of contractors and
services provided.
Trust: The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: List of assorted revenue-related costs.
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: Yes
Transparency: Yes
Action: Query
Trust: County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: The Trust does not centrally record this information. In order to collate this information
someone would need to manually trawl through thousands of records. We are therefore refusing your
request for information pursuant to section 12 of the Act on the grounds that we estimate that the cost of
complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit. The appropriate limit at the present time is
450.00 which equates to eighteen and a quarter hours of work by a member of staff at the rate of 25 per
hour. We are therefore refusing your request for information pursuant to section 12 of the Act on the
grounds that we estimate that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.
The appropriate limit at the present time is 450.00 which equates to eighteen and a quarter hours of work
by a member of staff at the rate of 25 per hour.
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: Yes
Transparency: Yes
Action: Query
Trust: Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: Comprehensive 7 page list of private sector and other contracts.
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT) has been named as one of best in the country for
the third year in a row. The Trust, which manages Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in
Northwich and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford, was announced as one of the CHKS 40Top
Hospitals for 2014. The 40Top award is based on the evaluation of 22 key performance indicators for
hospitals and covers important areas such as safety, clinical effectiveness, health outcomes, efficiency,
patient experience and quality of care.
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: Yes
Transparency: Yes
Action: NFA

NHS_Marketisation_News_#1 Dr. Geoffrey A. Walker 01/12/201401/12/2014

Trust: Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Comments: Short list of only 3 service contracts
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: No
Transparency: No
Action: NFA
Trust: South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: Thank you for your email, our Procurement Department intend to publish a full list of current
contracts on the SCAS website by mid to late November 2014. You will be able to access the information
on the website from that time.
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: No
Transparency: No
Action: Revisit website at end of November
Trust: Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: The Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust did not award any service contracts in
2013/14.
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: No
Transparency: No
Action: NFA
Trust: Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: The Trust has now had the opportunity to fully consider your request and has concluded that it
cannot answer it and will rely on the exemption provided by S12 Freedom of Information Request 2000,
being that to answer the request the Trust would exceed the appropriate cost limit (450 in this case).
Prior to April 2014 procurement records were not centralised and were not held on computer. The
situation was that each Directorate and Department within the Trust (county wide) could carry out their
own acquisition of contracts as and when they saw fit to deliver their own services. To obtain the
information that you require would involve the Trust examining paper records held in all parts of the Trust
and it is estimated that this work would exceed the 18hrs that the Trust has to complete it.
Publication Scheme:
Disclosure Log:
Transparency:
Action:
Trust: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: Detailed 13 page list of service contracts
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: No
Transparency: No
Action: NFA
Trust: Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: Limited list of revenue-related contracts
Publication Scheme: Yes
Disclosure Log: No
Transparency: No
Action: Query

NHS_Marketisation_News_#1 Dr. Geoffrey A. Walker 01/12/201401/12/2014

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Any comments or suggestions regarding this newsletter should be addressed to:
Geoff Walker (geoffreyawalker@msn.com)
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NHS_Marketisation_News_#1 Dr. Geoffrey A. Walker 01/12/201401/12/2014