Details of PADs in the SECAmb area

The request was partially successful.

Dear South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust,

On this [http://www.secamb.nhs.uk/our_services/co... page of your website you ask members of the public to submit details of PADs to your email so that they can be added to the CAD system.

I would like to request the following information about each of the PADs that you have on your system:
1 - The precise location or address where it is located,
2- Whether it is internal or placed on an outside wall,
3- The hours of the day that it is available,
4- Whether it is locked or unlocked, either with a key or a code,
5- The make & model of the AED,
6- The date of which it was installed.

Yours faithfully,
F Horton

Freedom of Information, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Mr/ Ms Horton

Thank you for your enquiry under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) to which I have allocated the reference FOI/15/06/05.

To enable me to process your request I need your full name please, first name and surname.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Regards
Julie Rayner
Freedom of Information Coordinator (Lewes Office)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Direct Dial: 0300 123 0999
Email: [South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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Dear South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust,

My full name is Mr Frederick Horton.
I hope that this is the information that you needed.

Yours faithfully,

F Horton

Freedom of Information, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Mr Horton

Thank you for confirming this information.

We are dealing with your request and aim to provide a response within 20 working days of receipt (no later than 7th July 2015).

If I can do anything else to help, please let me know.

Regards
Julie Rayner
Freedom of Information Coordinator (Lewes Office)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Direct Dial: 0300 123 0999
Email: [South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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Freedom of Information, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Horton

Please see attached our letter in response to your enquiry under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) reference FOI/15/06/05.

Regards
Julie Rayner
Freedom of Information Coordinator (Lewes Office)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Direct Dial: 0300 123 0999
Email: [South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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F Horton left an annotation ()

The Trust refused to give most of the information requested due to a conflict of commercial interest (?); I would have thought that the locations of the PADs have no monetary value (not the PADs themselves) because they should not be any secret and that having some map of them, would be in the public interest for times where a AED is needed, but a 999 call or text can not be made.

Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

I suggest asking for an "internal review" of their response.

That the information will go out of date is not an valid reason to withhold it under the Freedom of Information Act.

The trust haven't explained what their commercial interest is and how it is relevant. I think they should explain their use of this exemption. Are they considering selling the information to others so don't want to provide it under FOI?

The response on the time/cost limit sounds reasonable in principle; but surely they would have the hours of the day each device can be accessed in electronic form so that 999 operators know where to direct people.

F Horton left an annotation ()

Thank you for your suggestion Mr Taylor, I will certinally go ahead with the request for an Internal Review because as you say, and as they say on their site (linked in the original request) all of the information that is asked for on the page when submitting a new PAD is stored on their Compurer Aided Dispatch sustenance at the ambulance control room and accessible to the telephone operators.

Thanks for your advice.

Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

Another nearby service has released its information enabling people to make it more easily accessible:

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2013/11/ios-onl...

Dear South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust's handling of my FOI request 'Details of PADs in the SECAmb area'.

The response given stated that "The information shared would only be accurate as at the date
and time it was generated", but that is not a valid reason to withhold the information.
Secondly it was stated that the hours of the day that the PAD is available and whether it is locked or unlocked could not be given because "To retrieve the information would necessitate
manually searching through all the information held on PADs on our database"; surely the two pieces of information would be accessible on the CAD system's database so that the emergency medical dispatchers can give the caller the information as soon as possible.

Regarding the location of the PAD sites, you stated that it was exempt under the FOI Exemption s43 Commercial interest, I believe that this information should be released because it would be in the public interest and would benefit the public having a freely available (although incomplete) list of their locations. Please could the trust explain their commercial interest and how it is relevant to the refusal to release the information.
The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has released all this information in the form of the iOS app and a collection of Google Map pointers on their campaign page [http://www.scas.nhs.uk/campaigns/startah.... The app and their webpage details the building name, exact address, whether it is inside or outside and if it is available 24 hours a day that its available.

A full history of this FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

Yours faithfully,
F Horton

Freedom of Information, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Mr Horton

Thank you for your email requesting a review of our recent response under FOI/15/06/05.

I have noted your comments and will forward your request to my colleague who deals with our FOI reviews.

Regards
Julie Rayner
Freedom of Information Coordinator (Lewes Office)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Direct Dial: 0300 123 0999
Email: [South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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Freedom of Information, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Mr Horton

Further to my previous email I can advise you that your comments are being considered under the review process. Due to annual leave being taken by my line manager and myself I have to advise you that we will not be able to respond to your request for a review until at least 15th July 2015.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.

Regards
Julie Rayner
Freedom of Information Coordinator (Lewes Office)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Direct Dial: 0300 123 0999
Email: [South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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Freedom of Information, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Horton

Please see attached our letter and spreadsheet in response to your internal review of your FOI request under reference FOI/15/06/05.

Regards
Julie Rayner
Freedom of Information Coordinator (Lewes Office)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Direct Dial: 0300 123 0999
Email: [South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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F Horton left an annotation ()

Update: Contrary to everything said in their replies, SECAmb now publish their PAD locations to their website: http://www.secamb.nhs.uk/our_services/pu... (Towards the bottom of the page "The list of Public Access Defibrillators [...] can be accessed here")
It is unclear how often it is updated, but I personally know it was correct at the start of 2016.