PHSO Clinical Advisors

The request was partially successful.

Dear Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman,

You recently wrote that PHSO's clinical advisors are drawn from the following three bodies:
1. the General Medical Council (GMC),
2. the General Dentistry Council (GDC), and
3. the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/1...

1. For each or the past 3 years please specify the total number of complaints that involved PHSO clinical advisors.

2. For each of the past 3 years please specify the total number of PHSO clinical advisors who were involved with those complaints identified in your answer to question one.

3. For each of the past 3 years please specify how many clinical advisors from each of the three bodies referred to above were involved with the complaints identified in your answer to question one.

4. For each of the past 3 years, and for each of the three bodies referred to above, please specify the categories into which the complaints dealt with by PHSO clinical advisors fell. For example, assessment, investigation etc. There may be only one category.

5. For each of the past 3 years please specify the total sum of money paid to clinical advisors from each of the three bodies referred to above.

Yours faithfully,

J Roberts

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Thank you for your e-mail to the Parliamentary and Health Service
Ombudsman. This return e-mail shows that we have received your
correspondence.

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Dear J Roberts

Your information request - our reference: FDN 192862

Further to your email dated 30 May 2014, I am writing to you for clarification of your request in which you asked:

1. For each or the past 3 years please specify the total number of complaints that involved PHSO clinical advisors.

Please can you clarify whether you are seeking number of complaints where a Clinical Adviser provided advice, or the number of complaints where a Clinical Adviser at PHSO was the subject.

2. For each of the past 3 years please specify the total number of PHSO clinical advisors who were involved with those complaints identified in your answer to question one.

Please can you clarify if you are seeking the total number of clinicians that have provided advice.

Yours sincerely,

Sohifa Kadir
Freedom of Information / Data Protection Officer
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK Government quality mark initiative for information security products and services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

Dear foiofficer,

Clarification - please provide:

1. The number of complaints where a Clinical Adviser provided advice,

2. yes, the total number of clinicians that have provided advice.

Yours sincerely,

J Roberts

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Thank you for your e-mail to the Parliamentary and Health Service
Ombudsman. This return e-mail shows that we have received your
correspondence.

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

1 Attachment

Dear J Roberts

Your information request (our reference: FDN 192862)

Please find attached a response to your information request.

Yours sincerely

FOI/DP Officer
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK Government quality mark initiative for information security products and services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

Dear foiofficer,

I accept your argument about costs in respect of questions 3 and 5.

1. Please provide the total sum of money paid to all PHSO clinical advisors in each of the past three years.

2. Please provide all information concerning the contracts governing the relationship between the PHSO and its clinical advisors. Include details of how and when they are paid, the rates they receive and the expenses they can claim for.

3. For each of the past three years, please specify the amount of money the PHSO paid to each of the three clinical advisors who received the most.

4. For each of the past three years, please specify the amount of money the PHSO paid to each of the three clinical advisors who received the least.

5. For each of the past three years, please specify the largest amount of money the PHSO paid to a clinical advisor in respect of a single case.

6. For each of the past three years, please specify the smallest amount of money the PHSO paid to a clinical advisor in respect of a single case.

Yours sincerely,

J Roberts

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Thank you for your e-mail to the Parliamentary and Health Service
Ombudsman. This return e-mail shows that we have received your
correspondence.

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

5 Attachments

Dear J Roberts

 

Your information request – our reference: FDN 195130

 

Further to your email dated 28 June 2014, I am writing in response to your
Freedom of Information request.

 

I have responded to your questions below.

 

1. Please provide the total sum of money paid to all PHSO clinical
advisors in each of the past three years.

2. Please provide all information concerning the contracts governing the
relationship between the PHSO and its clinical advisors.  Include details
of how and when they are paid, the rates they receive and the expenses
they can claim for.

 

Information about the total sum of money paid to all Parliamentary and
Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) clinical advisors in the last three years
is not held.

 

It may be helpful if I explain we have three types of clinical advisers:
Internal Professional Adviser; Associate; and External Professional
Adviser.

 

Internal professional advisers are employed by PHSO and are paid a salary;
the terms of their employment are the same as any other PHSO employee.
Please see Annex A for a copy of the standard PHSO staff contract.

 

The salary bands below are for internal professional advisers; please note
that these salary bands are in line with annualised NHS pay bands but that
the majority of our advisers work on a part-time basis.

 

Band  Pay Range

SA1    £80,000 - £106,700 

SA2    £68,700 - £86,200

SA3    £63,700 - £82,900

 

Associates are appointed on an annual external contract and external
professional advisers are appointed on a case by case basis, both are paid
on an hourly rate of £43.75. The terms of employment and pay are identical
and are set in the attachments at Annex B and C. Associates and external
professional advisers are subject to the Conflict of Interest Policy
(Annex D) and Security Policy (Annex E) as all PHSO employees are.

 

Due to the variations of the way our clinical advisers are recruited, we
are unable able to quantify the total amount paid to clinical advisers.

3. For each of the past three years, please specify the amount of money
the PHSO paid to each of the three clinical advisors who received the
most.
4. For each of the past three years, please specify the amount of money
the PHSO paid to each of the three clinical advisors who received the
least. 

 

The information you have requested is not in a readily available format;
to provide you the information, we would need look into all payments made
to associate/external professional advisers and salary payments made to
internal professional advisers in last three years and extract the
information. This information is held across payroll, finance and our
Clinical Advice Directorate.

 

Unfortunately to carry out this task we have estimated it would exceed the
‘appropriate limit’ set out in the Freedom of Information and Data
Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

 

Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) provides an
exemption from the obligation to comply with a request for information
where the cost of compliance is estimated to exceed the appropriate limit
(£450 or 18 hours at £25/hour). Accordingly, due to the length of time it
would take to locate and extract the information, I am unable to provide
it to you.

 

5. For each of the past three years, please specify the largest amount of
money the PHSO paid to a clinical advisor in respect of a single case.

6. For each of the past three years, please specify the smallest amount of
money the PHSO paid to a clinical advisor in respect of a single case.

 

As explained at point one internal professional advisers are employed by
PHSO and are paid a salary; we therefore do not hold information on
highest and lowest amounts paid to them on a single case because they are
not paid on a case by case basis.

 

However, please find figures below for highest and lowest fees paid to an
associate/external professional adviser on providing clinical advice on a
single case in the last three years. These figures are in the context of
an hourly rate which, as provided above is usually £43.75.

 

Highest Fees

 

2011-2012 – £2450

2012-2013 - £1702

2013-2014 - £7346

Lowest Fees

 

2011-2012 - £10.94           

2012-2013 - £21.88

2013-2014 - £21.88

I hope that the information is helpful.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

FOI/DP Officer

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

 

 

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk