Request
Dear Sir/Madam,
I'd be grateful if you could help with the following query. Please consider it a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
1/ Please could you tell me how much the SHA has spent on external consultants and legal and professional fees since 1 April 2008. Please could you break down the response by financial year (ie Apr 08-Mar 09, Apr 09-Mar10 and Apr10 – now. For the current year, please also include where possible any projected spending between now and the end of March).
2/ For each expenditure, please could you detail how much was spent, who was hired and briefly summarise what the money was spent on (eg clinical services, procurement, commissioning support etc). For each expenditure I’d also be grateful if you could indicate where possible the status of the external contractor (ie are they another NHS body, a private firm, a not-for-profit organisation etc).
I would be grateful if you could acknowledge my request, and reply as soon as possible.
Our Response
I refer to your email requesting information in respect of NHS East Midlands spend on external consultancy and legal and professional fees since April 2008.
I can confirm in accordance with S.1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) that we do hold the information that you have requested which is already in the public domain. We therefore feel that Section 21 of the FOIA is engaged as this is information that is already reasonably accessible to you via the disclosure log section of our website. However, as Section 16 of the FOIA places a duty on us to provide as much help and assistance as possible, I have attached the relevant link to the information that you require:
http://www.eastmidlands.nhs.uk/about-us/financial-information/consultancy-costs/?locale=en
Our annual report and accounts documents also contain the information that you are looking for and can be found on our website at the following link:
http://www.eastmidlands.nhs.uk/about-us/publications/?categoryesctl990746=157
You have also asked for this information in respect of the current financial year. I can confirm that this will be updated via our annual report which will be published later in the year. We are therefore of the opinion that Section 22 of the FOIA is engaged in this instance. Section 22 is a qualified exemption and is subject to consideration of the public interest test. We recognise that there is a public interest in providing this information to you in order to be helpful, and to promote accountability and transparency of government. However, in this case, there are strong arguments to support the use of the future publication exemption on the basis that the best use of public resources would be directed to pulling this information together, ensuring the information is accurate and published in a consistent and comprehensive format.
I hope that this information is of use. If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we have dealt with your request you can ask us to review our decision by writing to:-
Mr Moosa Patel
Director of Corporate Affairs
NHS East Midlands
Octavia House
Interchange Business Park
Bostock's Lane
Sandiacre
Nottingham
NG10 5QG
If at the conclusion of any review you remain dissatisfied you may complain to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at:-
The Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
