Request
Dear East Midlands Strategic Health Authority,
Please could you make available the following information with regards to your authority area:
1) How many applications for NHS Continuing Healthcare have been received from (a) spinal cord injured people and (b) spinal cord injured people with tetraplegic lesions since October 1st 2009?
2) How many applications for NHS Continuing Healthcare from or on behalf of spinal cord injured people with tetraplegic lesions have
(a) resulted in determinations of eligibility and (b) how many have resulted in determinations of ineligibility since October 1st 2009?
3) How many NHS Continuing Healthcare appeals against determinations of ineligibility have been heard for spinal cord injured people with tetraplegic lesions since October 1st 2009 and in how many cases was eligibility determined as a consequence of appeal?
4) How many spinal cord injured people with tetraplegic lesions who were in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare funding prior to the 1st of October 2009 have since been assessed as ineligible after review assessment?
5) Can this information be broken down by level of injury (lesion) to the spinal cord?
Our Response
I refer to your email of 10 June 2011 requesting information in respect of Continuing Healthcare for Spinal Cord Injured people.
I can confirm in accordance with S.1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) that we do not hold the information that you have requested.
However, it should be the case that local Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) do hold the information that you require in terms of your first two questions as these assessments need to be carried out PCTs.
Regarding your remaining questions, I assume that you are referring to cases considered by Independent Review Panels which are convened by the Strategic Health Authority (SHA). However, we do not categorise this information in terms of the types of illness or injury so we are unable to provide you with the information that you require. Again, local PCTs may be able to advise you if they are aware of any of their spinal injury cases coming to an Independent Review Panel.
PCTs can be contacted individually via the following link to our website:
http://www.eastmidlands.nhs.uk/the-local-nhs/nhs-organisations/
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
