Selected Medical Practitioner

Roedd y cais yn rhannol lwyddiannus.

Dear Avon and Somerset Constabulary,

I understand that Avon and Somerset Constabulary has recently contracted a Dr. Johnson to act as selected medical practitioner (SMP) in respect of proposed reviews of police injury pensions.

Please provide the following information:

1) The GMC registration number of Dr Johnson.

2) Does Dr Johnson currently work as SMP for any other police forces, and if so please name them?

3) Has Dr Johnson worked previously for any other police forces, and if so please name them?

4) Has Dr Johnson received any training for the role of SMP, either by the force or by any other body, agency, individual or organisation? If, so, please provide details of who provided the training, where and when.

5) Please tell me how Dr Johnson was hired as SMP for Avon and Somerset Constabulary? For example, was the position advertised, how many doctors were considered for the position, what were the criteria for selection, etc. Please be as detailed as possible.

6) What is the estimated cost to the force for conducting a single review of an injury pension where the SMP is required to see the pensioner?

7) The National Attendance Management Forum has produced a list of approved SMPs. Please provide me with a copy of the NAMF list of approved SMPs.

Yours faithfully,

Sarah Wilmcote

#Freedom of Information Requests, Avon and Somerset Constabulary

 

 

 

Corporate Information Management Department

Force Headquarters, PO Box 37, Valley Road,

Portishead, Bristol, BS20 8QJ

Facsimile 01275 814667

    

Private Our Reference 1141 /14

Sarah Wilmcore
Your reference  
[1][FOI #234339 email]

  Date 20.10.14

 

 

Dear Ms Wilmcore,

 

I write in connection with your request for information dated 15^th
October  concerning Dr Johnson. This request will be dealt with under the
terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act. In some
circumstances Avon and Somerset Constabulary may be unable to achieve this
deadline if consideration needs to be given to the public interest test.
If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised time-scale at
the earliest opportunity.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

C Quartey

 

Freedom of Information Officer

Corporate Information Management Department

 

Please note;

1.     Requests and responses may be published on Avon and Somerset
Constabulary’s website (within 24 hours), some of which may contain a link
to additional information, which may provide you with further
clarification.

2.     Whilst we may verbally discuss your request with you in order to
seek clarification, all other communication should be made in writing.

3.     Avon and Somerset Constabulary provides you with the right to
request a re-examination of your case under its review procedure.

 

 

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #234339 email]

#Freedom of Information Requests, Avon and Somerset Constabulary

1 Atodiad

Corporate Information Management Department

Force Headquarters, PO Box 37, Valley Road,

Portishead, Bristol, BS20 8QJ

Facsimile 01275 814667

Email foirequests@avonandsomerset.police.uk    

 

 

 

 

Private Our Reference 1141/14

Ms Sarah Wilmcote Your reference  

[FOI #234339 email] Date 12 November 2014

 

 

 

Dear Ms Wilmcote

 

I write in connection with your request for information dated 15^th
October concerning police injury pension reviews.

 

Specifically you asked:

 

I understand that Avon and Somerset Constabulary has recently contracted a
Dr. Johnson to act as selected medical practitioner (SMP) in respect of
proposed reviews of police injury pensions.

 

Please provide the following information:

Q1. The GMC registration number of Dr Johnson.

The information you have requested is publically available online.
Therefore, this information is exempt under Section 21 – information
reasonably accessible by other means. Information concerning GMC
registration numbers is available on the General Medical Council website.
 I have provided the link below for ease of reference:

[1]http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/register/L...

In accordance with the Act, this represents a Refusal Notice for this part
of your request.

 

Q2. Does Dr Johnson currently work as SMP for any other police forces, and
if so please name them?

Q3. Has Dr Johnson worked previously for any other police forces, and if
so please name them?

Q4. Has Dr Johnson received any training for the role of SMP, either by
the force or by any other body, agency, individual or organisation? If,
so, please provide details of who provided the training, where and when.

 

Obviously the information you have sought would be relevant to the
process, however disclosures under this act are essentially disclosures to
the wider public and as such the legislators have determined that
information that is personal in nature will not be disclosed. I am
therefore not obliged to provide the information requested in questions 2,
3 and 4 as this information is exempt from disclosure. The exemption
applicable is Section 40(2), third party personal information. This is an
Absolute exemption so therefore there is no requirement to conduct a harm
or public interest test. Any information is exempt from disclosure under
the Freedom of Information Act if it relates to or is supplied by another
individual and disclosure of that information would contravene any of the
principles of the 1998 Data Protection Act, in this particular case,
disclosure of this information would contravene Principles 1 and 2 of the
Act, whereby personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and only
obtained for one or more specified purpose or purposes. 

 

Q5. Please tell me how Dr Johnson was hired as SMP for Avon and Somerset
Constabulary? For example, was the position advertised, how many doctors
were considered for the position, what were the criteria for selection,
etc. Please be as detailed as possible.

 

The Force Medical Adviser researched consultant occupational physicians
with experience of the police pension scheme, prepared to undertake SMP
work, living or working within a reasonable radius of Portishead. The
nearest suitable doctor was approached.

 

Q6. What is the estimated cost to the force for conducting a single review
of an injury pension where the SMP is required to see the pensioner?

 

No information is held in relation to this question.

 

Q7. The National Attendance Management Forum has produced a list of
approved SMPs.  Please provide me with a copy of the NAMF list of approved
SMPs.

 

There is no approved list of SMPs.  There is a list kept by the NAMF of
those who wish forces to know that they are available for work.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

C Quartey

 

Freedom of Information Officer

Corporate Information Management Department

 

 

Please note:

1.     Requests and responses may be published on Avon and Somerset
Constabulary’s website (within 24 hours), some of which may contain a link
to additional information, which may provide you with further
clarification.

2.     Whilst we may verbally discuss your request with you in order to
seek clarification, all other communication should be made in writing.

3.     Avon and Somerset Constabulary provides you with the right to
request a re-examination of your case under its review procedure (copy
attached).

 

 

 

 

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

Dear Avon and Somerset Constabulary,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Avon and Somerset Constabulary's handling of my FOI request 'Selected Medical Practitioner'.

You say that Dr Johnson's GMC registration number is available on line. However, there are multiple doctors registered, whose surname is Johnson, and I do not have his given names (you do). This makes it impossible to identify Dr Johnson's GMC registration number. This information is therefore not information reasonably accessible by other means and I ask again that you supply the requested information.

You rely on the exemption set out in Section 40(2) of the FOI Act to refuse to answer questions 2, 3 and 4. I ask you to note that I am not asking for sensitive personal data. I am asking for information which is personal but not to the extent that a refusal under section 40(2) is justified.The information I have requested is not sensitive personal data.I therefore request you release the data.

You will know that if Dr Johnson agrees to the release of the data, then you can release it. I ask that you contact Dr Johnson and seek his permission to release the requested information.

As to your refusal to answer Q6. Your response is not valid. You have refused merely because I named the list as an 'approved' list. There is no confusion or argument about the existence of the list, or its identity. It is unfair and petty to refuse disclosure without asking me to clarify my request on this point. I now do clarify - the list I would like a copy of is indeed the list you refer to, no matter what name you care to give to it. (It may interest you to know that it was referred to as an 'approved list' by the National Attendance Management Forum itself). I therefore ask again that you provide a copy of the list.

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

Yours faithfully,

Sarah Wilmcote

Jeff Hines, Avon and Somerset Constabulary

1 Atodiad

Dear Ms Wilmcote

Please find attached a response to your request for an internal review.

Jeff Hines
Information Access Manager
Corporate Information Management Department
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
PO Box 37
Valley Road
Bristol
BS20 8QJ

<<Letter Ms Wilmcote.doc>>

 

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

#Freedom of Information Requests, Avon and Somerset Constabulary

1 Atodiad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate Information Management Department

Force Headquarters, PO Box 37, Valley Road,

Portishead, Bristol, BS20 8QJ

Facsimile 01275 814667

Email foirequests@avonandsomerset.police.uk    

 

Private Our Reference 1384/14

Sarah Wilmcote Your reference  

[FOI #234339 email] Date 06 January 2015

 

Dear Ms Wilmcote

 

I write in connection with your request for information dated 13^th
November concerning the list of those SMP’s kept by the NAMF who wish
Forces to know they are available for work.

 

I believe all other points have been addressed in your request for an
internal review.

 

The list you have requested is already available on the internet, as such
the information is exempt from disclosure under section 21 of the act,
information reasonably accessible by other means.  Section 21 is an
absolute and class based exemption which means that there is no
requirement to identify and evidence the harm that would be caused by
disclosure or consider the public interest.

Please see the following link for ease of reference:

[1]http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/wp-co....

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

C Quartey

 

Freedom of Information Officer

Corporate Information Management Department

 

 

Please note:

1.     Requests and responses may be published on Avon and Somerset
Constabulary’s website (within 24 hours), some of which may contain a link
to additional information, which may provide you with further
clarification.

2.     Whilst we may verbally discuss your request with you in order to
seek clarification, all other communication should be made in writing.

3.     Avon and Somerset Constabulary provides you with the right to
request a re-examination of your case under its review procedure (copy
attached).

 

 

 

 

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir