FOI/25/158

Request

1. From 1^st January 2024 to 1^st August 2024, please list the wards/departments you have requested shifts for off framework agencies in your Adult Nursing, Mental Health, Community Teams?

Sensitive information. – Section 43 applied, see below

2. From 1^st January 2024 to 1^st August 2024 have you requested shifts for off framework agencies in your UTC/UCC/MIU?

No.

3. Please provide me with the name, contact number & email address of the person responsible for agreeing temporary nursing agency contracts for your Trust?

Litmus

Phone Number - 0203 937 8322

Email address – clcht.temporarystaffing@nhs.net

4. Please provide a list of off-framework agencies used by the trust from 1^st January 2024 to August 1^st 2024.

Brit Locums

Vulcan

Medicare

Infermiera

Select OH

CastleField

Southern Cross

JSS Publications

Thornbury

Clinical24

Priority

5. How much was your Off-Framework agency spend for each of the following staff groups between January 1^st 2024 – 1 August 2024 (a) RGN’s (b) RCN’s (c) RMN (d) ITU Nurse (e) A&E Nurse (f) HCA (g) CPN

Nursing – 600k

6. How much was your off framework spent for (a) Urgent Treatment Centre (b) Urgent Care Centre (c) Minor Injuries Unit?

0

Section 43 Response

Section 43 – Commercial Interest

Section 43(2) exempts information whose disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (an individual, a company, the public authority itself or any other legal entity). Disclosure of the requested information could prejudice pending or future negotiations the CLCH may be subject to.

This is a qualified exemption under the FOIA, which means that consideration must also be given to whether in all the circumstances of the case the public interest favouring disclosure is greater than the public interest in maintaining the exemption. The public interest means what is in the best interests of the public not what is of interest to the public.

Factors in favour of discloser:  

1.    Disclosing information relating to the value of the rent charged would benefit the public interest by encouraging transparency. 

2.    Disclosing information relating to [list the wards/departments you have requested shifts for off framework agencies in your Adult Nursing, Mental Health, Community Teams] would promote accountability and transparency by showing how CLCH receive and spend public money. 

 

Factors in favour of non-disclosure: 

1.    Disclosing the [list the wards/departments you have requested shifts for off framework agencies in your Adult Nursing, Mental Health, Community Teams] would undermine our competitive position in the marketplace. 

2.    Disclosing the [list the wards/departments you have requested shifts for off framework agencies in your Adult Nursing, Mental Health, Community Teams] would compromise the commercial activities of CLCH, as it would compromise its ability to negotiate competitive future deals.

3.    Disclosure of the [list the wards/departments you have requested shifts for off framework agencies in your Adult Nursing, Mental Health, Community Teams], is likely to lead to reputational and financial damage which would affect future investments and have a knock-on effect to the money raised for the health economy.

 

Having considered the above, we maintain that the factors in favour of upholding the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosure. Therefore, the balance of the public interest test is greater in maintaining the exemption available under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.