FOI/25/325

Request

1. In the period 1st October 2024 to 31st December 2024 please provide a breakdown of: Overall Framework Nursing: 370k

·       Total trust spend with framework agencies for locum nurses

Please provide a further breakdown for locum nurses by:

·       Spend per band

• Framework Agency Shift Spend by Banding:

Nursing Bandings

October – December 2024 Overall Total

Band 5

120,315

Band 6

173,152

Band 7

84,779

Band 8a

880

Bank Shift Spend by Banding:

Nursing Bandings

October – December 2024 Overall Total

Band 2

        366,359

 Band 3

        366,059

 Band 4

        147,200

 Band 5

        766,248

 Band 6

        652,821

 Band 7

        655,581

 Band 8a

          64,756

 Band 8b

               577

 Band 8c

            2,918

 Band 9

               647

·       Spend per specialty – Section 43 exemption applied as this is Sensitive information, Please see details below.

·       Spend per agency name Section 43 exemption applied as this is Sensitive information, Please see details below.

 

In the period 1st October 2024 to 31st December 2024 please provide a breakdown of: 0

·       Total trust spend with off framework agencies for locum nurses

Please provide a further breakdown for locum nurses by:

·       Spend per band

·       Spend per specialty

·       Spend per agency name

 

In the period 1st October 2024 to 31st December 2024 please provide a breakdown of: Overall Nursing Bank Shift Spend: 3m

·       Total trust spend with the internal trust bank or associated external provider for locum nurses

Please provide a further breakdown for locum nurses by:

·       Spend per band Section 43 exemption applied as this is Sensitive information, Please see details below.

·       Spend per specialty Section 43 exemption applied as this is Sensitive information, Please see details below.

·       Spend per agency name Section 43 exemption applied as this is Sensitive information, Please see details below.

 

Please confirm the total number of nursing shifts booked during this period for all agency nursing only, no bank staff nursing to be included (1st October 2024 to 31st December 2024) 1300

Please confirm the total number of nursing shifts booked above NHSE capped rates during this period for all agency nursing only, no bank staff nursing to be included (1st October 2024 to 31st December 2024) 157

 

Framework Agency Shift Spend by Banding:

Nursing Bandings

October – December 2024 Overall Total

Band 5

120,315

Band 6

173,152

Band 7

84,779

Band 8a

880

 

Bank Shift Spend by Banding:

Nursing Bandings

October – December 2024 Overall Total

Band 2

        366,359

 Band 3

        366,059

 Band 4

        147,200

 Band 5

        766,248

 Band 6

        652,821

 Band 7

        655,581

 Band 8a

          64,756

 Band 8b

               577

 Band 8c

            2,918

 Band 9

               647

 

 

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:  

• Disclosing information relating to the value of the rent charged would benefit the public interest by encouraging transparency. 
• Disclosing information relating to [Spend by specialty and agency banding] would promote accountability and transparency by showing how CLCH receive and spend public money. 

 

Factors in favour of non-disclosure: 

• Disclosing the [Spend by specialty and agency banding] would undermine our competitive position in the marketplace. 
• Disclosing the [Spend by specialty and agency banding] would compromise the commercial activities of CLCH, as it would compromise its ability to negotiate competitive future deals.
• Disclosure of the [Spend by specialty and agency banding], 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.