FOI/25/258

Request

1. Please confirm the number of shifts sent to agencies for fulfilment per month for Band 5 and Band 6 Nurses, broken down by specialty (e.g., A&E, ITU) from June 2024 to October 2024.
   Around 4000 Overall Nursing shifts.
    
2. Please confirm the number of shifts that were filled by agencies each month from June 2024 to October 2024.
   Around 6,600 shifts filled between June – October 2024.
    
3. Please confirm any specific days, weeks, or months during which agency usage is consistently highest.​​​​​​​
   Sensitive Information – Section 43 Applied, see below.
    
4. Please provide the agency spend per month by nursing band (e.g., Band 5, Band 6) for agency nurses, from June 2024 to October 2024.​​​​​​​
   1.1m for overall Nursing shifts between June – October 2024
    
5. Please provide a breakdown of the filled Nursing shifts by agency on a monthly basis over the period from June 2024 to October 2024.
   Sensitive Information – Section 43 Applied, see below.
    
6. Please confirm the number of Nursing hours filled by off-framework agencies, broken down by month, between June 2024 and October 2024.
   100 Shifts
    
7. Please provide details of the Trust’s spend per month for each nursing agency supplier during the period of June 2024 to October 2024.
   Sensitive Information – Section 43 Applied, see below.
    
8. Please confirm if a Preferred Supplier List (PSL) or tiered system is in place for Nursing agency engagement.
   No PSL or tiered system is in place.
    
9. How many different agencies does the Trust engage with monthly to fill nursing shifts, and is there a limit on the number of agencies used?
   There is no limit, however the agency must be on framework
    
10. Does the Trust have a projected agency usage plan for the coming year, and are there specific goals for reducing agency dependency?
    Aim is for the Trust to maintain our compliance with NHSE guidelines of a maximum of 3.2% of total pay spend in 2024/25. To ensure that that we maintain our spend at less than the NHSE target.
11. If you answered yes to the above question, what are they?
    Sensitive Information – Section 43 Applied, see below.
12. Is there a long-term strategy in place to reduce agency nursing costs or transition to alternative staffing models?
    Sensitive Information – Section 43 Applied, see below.
13. If you answered yes to the above question, what are they?
    Sensitive Information – Section 43 Applied, see below.​​​​​​​
    
    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:  

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

·       Disclosing information relating to [Q3, Q5, Q7, Q11, Q12, Q13] would promote accountability and transparency by showing how CLCH receive and spend public money. 

 

Factors in favour of non-disclosure: 

·       Disclosing the [Q3, Q5, Q7, Q11, Q12, Q13] would undermine our competitive position in the marketplace. 

·       Disclosing the [Q3, Q5, Q7, Q11, Q12, Q13] would compromise the commercial activities of CLCH, as it would compromise its ability to negotiate competitive future deals.

·       Disclosure of the [Q3, Q5, Q7, Q11, Q12, Q13], 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. 

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