Asbestos in HEFT buildings

The request was partially successful.

Dear Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust,

This is a formal request for the following documents pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2000:-

1. Copies of all asbestos surveys for the Heartlands/ East Birmingham Hospital (including but not limited to the Yardley Green site and Arden Lodge) from 1980 to date.

2. Copies of all records, plans, surveys, correspondence and memoranda regarding the removal of asbestos from hospital premises (including but not limited to the Yardley Green site and Arden Lodge).

3. Details of the contractors used for asbestos removal.

4. Details of all contractors employed to work on the premises at the Yardley Green site and “Arden Lodge” from 1983 to date (including but not limited to details of the contractors responsible for the demolition and site clearance).

5. Copies of notes from the Health & Safety Committee relating to the presence of and the removal of asbestos from 1980 to date.

Yours faithfully,

John Blunt

Publication Scheme e-mail, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

Our reference: FOI 2996
 
Dear John,
 
Thank you for your e-mail received on 19 March 2014 requesting
information regarding the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.
 
Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and we aim to respond by 16 April 2014,   i.e. within
the statutory 20 working days, as defined by the Act, subject to the
application of any statutory exemptions.
 
Where consideration is given to the application of any exemptions, the 20
day compliance may be extended under the terms of the Act to a period
considered reasonable depending on the nature and circumstances of the
request. In such cases, you will be notified and, where possible, a
revised time-scale will be indicated. In all cases, we shall attempt to
deal with your request at the earliest opportunity.
 
If you have any queries about this request do not hesitate to contact me.
Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.
 
 
Regards
Sian
 
Siân Bradshaw, Publications Scheme Co-Ordinator
 
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust,  Birmingham Heartlands Hospital,
Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, B9 5SS Direct line:  0121 424 1325 (Ext
41325)  Switchboard: 0121 42-42000  [1][email address]
Safety & Governance Intranet site
[2]http://sharepointap/governance/default.a...
 
 
 

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Publication Scheme e-mail, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

14 Attachments

Our reference: FOI 2996
 
Dear John,
 
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
 
The response to your query is detailed below:  We have been able to
deliver parts 3,4 and 5 of your request but not parts 1 and 2.  From our
preliminary assessment listed below, we estimate that compliance with your
request would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the
Freedom of information Act 2000. This is currently £450.
 
Question 1
“Copies of all asbestos surveys for the Heartlands/East Birmingham
Hospital (including but not limited to the Yardley Green site and Arden
Lodge”
Information not provided on the grounds of cost exceeding £450 and time to
compile information exceeding 18 hours, as per justification below;
 
Labour costs
4,160 A4 pages of information in total comprising a mixture of loose leaf
and bound pages
Time to extract, unbind, copy, re-bind and file 4,160 pages of surveys =
27.7 Hrs
Band 3 Clerical Assistant (£17,794pa) = £9.12/Hr
Labour costs = 27.7Hrs x £9.12/Hr = £252.62
 
Stationery costs
£2.17 per 500 A4 sheets of paper
Paper Costs = 4,160/500 x £2.17 = £18.05
Folders, sleeves, etc = £20
Stationery costs = £38.05
 
Printing Costs
£0.05 per black & white print
£0.21 per color print
Assuming 3% of original pages/plans require colour printing then,
Colour print cost = 4,160 x 0.03 x £0.21 = £26.21
Black & white print costs = 4,160 x 0.97 x £0.05 = £201.76
Printing Costs = £227.97
 
Total Cost to produce information request No 1 - £518.64
 
Question 2
“Copies of all records, plans, surveys, correspondence and memoranda
regarding the removal of asbestos from premises (including but not limited
to the Yardley Green site and Arden Lodge”
Information not provided on the grounds of cost exceeding £450 and time to
compile information exceeding 18 hours, as per justification below;
Costs for Heartlands Hospital and Yardley Green sites only (does not
include Chest Clinic, Solihull or Good Hope hospitals)
Labour costs
6,240 A4 pages of information in total comprising a mixture of loose leaf
and bound pages
Time to extract, unbind, copy, re-bind and file 6,240 pages of information
= 41.5 Hrs
Band 3 Clerical Assistant (£17,794pa) = £9.12/Hr
Labour costs = 41.5Hrs x £9.12/Hr = £378.48
 
Stationery costs
£2.17 per 500 A4 sheets of paper
Paper Costs = 6,240/500 x £2.17 = £27.08
Folders, sleeves, etc = £30
Stationery costs = £57.08
 
Printing Costs
£0.05 per black & white print
£0.21 per color print
Assuming 3% of original pages/plans require colour printing then,
Colour print cost = 6,240 x 0.03 x £0.21 = £39.31
Black & white print costs = 6,240 x 0.97 x £0.05 = £302.64
Printing Costs = £341.95
 
Total Cost to produce information request No 2 - £777.51
 
 
Question 3
“Details of the contractors used for asbestos removal”
Contractors used for asbestos removal works at Heartlands Hospital and
Yardley Green sites only (does not include Chest Clinic, Solihull or Good
Hope hospitals)
A.J.Mills & Sons Limited
Lagfast Insulation Services Limited
J.Cullen Thermals Limited
ICL Limited
Asbestos Abatement Services Limited
Asbestech Limited
Coleman & Company Limited
Forrest Environmental Limited
Central Insulation & Environmental Services Limited
DSM Demolition Limited
ICS Limited
 
 
Question 4
“Details of all contractors employed to work on the premises at the
Yardley Green site and Arden Lodge from 1983 to date (including but not
limited to details of the contractors responsible for the demolition and
site clearance).”
Contractors used for asbestos related works only at Yardley Green site are
listed below (does not include Chest Clinic, Heartlands, Solihull or Good
Hope hospitals). A list of contractors used for all other works at Yardley
Green site from 1983 is not available.
A.J.Mills & Sons Limited
Lagfast Insulation Services Limited
J.Cullen Thermals Limited
ICL Limited
Asbestos Abatement Services Limited
Asbestech Limited
Coleman & Company Limited
Forrest Environmental Limited
Central Insulation & Environmental Services Limited
DSM Demolition Limited
ICS Limited
DMW Environmental Safety Limited
Management UK Limited
YJL Environmental Services Limited
YJL Construction Limited
OHS Limited
Envirocare Limited
Midland Environmental Laboratories
Birmingham City Laboratories
Industrial Research Laboratories – City of Birmingham Engineers Department
DMW Environmental Consultants
Tersus Limited
Monitor Environmental Limited
Bradley Environmental Limited
Envirocare Midlands Limited
 
Ownership of Arden Lodge and part of the Yardley Green site transferred
from HEFT to North Birmingham Mental Health Trust prior to the demolition
of Arden Lodge.
HEFT does not have any records associated with the demolition of Arden
Lodge because this work was conducted on behalf of North Birmingham Mental
Health Trust and not HEFT.
 
Question 5
 
I attach the last two years of minutes from the Asbestos management group.
 
 
I hope that this answers your query.
 
Heart of England is one of the largest Hospital Trusts in England. It
includes Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Solihull Hospital and Community
Services, Good Hope Hospital and Birmingham Chest Clinic.
 
The Trust see and treat more than 150,000 people every year with over 1.2
million attendances and has nearly 12,000 staff. There are around 250,000 
attendances at their Hospitals’ emergency departments each year too.
 
Specialty areas of care include: bone marrow transplants, thoracic
surgery, heart and kidney disease, infectious diseases, HIV and AIDS,
clinical trials and cystic fibrosis.
 
In line with the Trust’s commitment to openness and accountability,
responses to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 are now routinely published on the Trust’s website
[1]www.heartofengland.nhs.uk
 
Should you feel we have not addressed each aspect of your request please
contact the Trust, via the Publication Scheme address, quoting the above
reference, to enable us to review our response.
 
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45
Website: [2]www.ico.gov.uk. 
 
There is no charge for making an appeal.
 
 
 
 
 

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Dear Publication Scheme e-mail,

To keep the request within the limits could questions one and two be scanned and recorded to disk, or alternatively saved onto a memory stick?

Yours sincerely,

John Blunt

Publication Scheme e-mail, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

Dear John,

I have forwarded your question to the department responsible. I will revert when I have a response.

Regards
Sian

Siân Bradshaw, Publications Scheme Co-Ordinator

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust,  Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, B9 5SS Direct line:  0121 424 1325 (Ext 41325)  Switchboard: 0121 42-42000  [email address]
Safety & Governance Intranet site http://sharepointap/governance/default.a...

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Publication Scheme e-mail, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

Dear John,

I have checked back with the department and the labour costs associated with copying the materials are the same for scanning the materials and I'm afraid are still beyond our fee limit of £450.00 and labour limit of 18 hours. There would then also be additional costs in copying the data over to some form of electronic media.

Regards
Sian

Siân Bradshaw: EA/Sarah Woolley, Director of Safety & Organisational Development

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust,  Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, B9 5SS Direct line:  0121 424 1325 (Ext 41325)  Switchboard: 0121 42-42000  [email address]
Safety & Governance Intranet site http://sharepointap/governance/default.a...

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Bradshaw Sian, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

Dear John,

I have checked back with the department and the labour costs associated with copying the materials are the same for scanning the materials and I'm afraid are still beyond our fee limit of £450.00 and labour limit of 18 hours. There would then also be additional costs in copying the data over to some form of electronic media.

Regards
Sian

Siân Bradshaw, Publications Scheme Co-Ordinator

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust,  Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, B9 5SS Direct line:  0121 424 1325 (Ext 41325)  Switchboard: 0121 42-42000  [email address]
Safety & Governance Intranet site http://sharepointap/governance/default.a...

show quoted sections