Specialised Vascular Services (Adults) specifications

The request was partially successful.

Dear NHS England,

With regards to the Specialised Vascular Services (Adults) specification document (Service Specification No: 170004/S), that l believe is used by health care providers (such as hospitals) when implementing a vascular network as it defines the standards of care expected, could you please provide the following information:

1. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network produce/have to hand documentation regarding the care pathways as mentioned within the aforementioned specialised services document?

2. Is it a mandatory requirement that the network arrangements of each vascular network be clearly documented and have clearly articulated governance arrangements?

3. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network have clear documentation regarding where inpatient, day case and outpatient services are provided within their network?.

4. With regards to governance/audits of vascular networks, as part of this process are checks made to ensure that mandatory documentation has been produced?

5. Is there a list that contains of all the documents that a vascular network must produce or l am correct in assuming that the minimum documentation required to be produced by a vascular network are those areas requiring documentation as mentioned within the aforementioned specialised services document?

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Kent

FOI, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Mr Kent,

 

Thank you for your communication dated 19 June 2019.

 

NHS England has assessed your communication as a request under the Freedom
of Information (FOI) Act 2000. As such, please be assured that your
request is being dealt with under the terms of the FOI Act and will be
answered within twenty working days.

 

For further information regarding the FOI Act, please refer to the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website. For further information
regarding NHS England and the information it publishes please visit our
website here.

 

If you have any queries about this request or wish to contact us again,
please email [1][NHS England request email] and the message will be
forwarded appropriately. Please remember to quote the above reference
number in any future communications.

 

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows: PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [2][NHS England request email].

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [3][NHS England request email]

 

‘Health and High quality care for all, now and for future generations’

 

 

 

 

 

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FOI, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Mr Kent,

 

Re: Freedom of Information request (Our Ref: FOI-059530)

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 19 June
2019.

 

Your exact request was:

 

“With regards to the Specialised Vascular Services (Adults) specification
document (Service Specification No: 170004/S), that l believe is used by
health care providers (such as hospitals) when implementing a vascular
network as it defines the standards of care expected, could you please
provide the following information:

 

1. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network produce/have
to hand documentation regarding the care pathways as mentioned within the
aforementioned specialised services document?

 

2. Is it a mandatory requirement that the network arrangements of each
vascular network be clearly documented and have clearly articulated
governance arrangements?

 

3. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network have clear
documentation regarding where inpatient, day case and outpatient services
are provided within their network?.

 

4. With regards to governance/audits of vascular networks, as part of this
process are checks made to ensure that mandatory documentation has been
produced?

 

5. Is there a list that contains of all the documents that a vascular
network must produce or l am correct in assuming that the minimum
documentation required to be produced by a vascular network are those
areas requiring documentation as mentioned within the aforementioned
specialised services document?”

NHS England holds information in relation to your request.

 

The service specification for any service, including vascular services,
sets out the standards of care expected to be provided by the
organisation. The service specifications are core documents included in
the NHS Standard Contract between the commissioner (in this case, NHS
England), and the provider. The inclusion in the contract bundle
inherently means that there is a requirement to meet the standards
outlined.

 

The requirements described in a service specification will include
elements which are mandatory, but may also include elements that require
change and development over time to provide excellence in the field. For
example, the requirement to document care pathways may be understood as
developmental work for a vascular network since the specification states
that these ‘will be documented’.

 

NHS England monitors compliance with the requirements of a service
specification through a variety of means including regular contact between
regional commissioners and providers; through the Specialised Services
Quality Dashboard; and through assessment against an agreed set of
indicators, either by self-assessment or peer review.

 

NHS England has no list of recommended documents beyond the items
described in the service specification.

 

Copyright: NHS England operates under the terms of the open government
licence. Please see the [1]NHS England Terms and Conditions.

 

We hope this information is helpful. However, if you are dissatisfied, you
have the right to ask for an internal review. This should be requested in
writing within two months of the date of this letter. Your correspondence
should be labelled “Internal Review” and should outline your concerns
and/or the area(s) you would like the review to consider. Internal Review
requests should be sent to:

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Email: [2][NHS England request email]

 

Please quote the reference number FOI-059530 in any future communications.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can be contacted at:

 

The Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Email: [3][email address]  

Website: [4]www.ico.org.uk

 

Please note there is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Please be aware that in line with the Information Commissioner’s directive
on the disclosure of information under the FOI Act, your request will be
anonymised and published on our website as part of our disclosure log.

 

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows: PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [5][NHS England request email].

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [NHS England request email]

 

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Dear FOI, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24),

Thank you for you response, however, you have only answered one question outright, one was partially answered, and 3 were ignored so please clarify and answer the following:

Please could you clarify your statements:

"The requirements described in a service specification will include elements which are mandatory, but may also include elements that require change and development over time to provide excellence in the field. For example, the requirement to document care pathways may be understood as developmental work for a vascular network since the specification states that these ‘will be documented’."

I assume this statement was directly in relation to question 1 which was:

1. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network produce/have to hand documentation regarding the care pathways as mentioned within the aforementioned specialised services document?

For clarification of the above, l understand that care pathway documents will be ongoing/developmental as advised, so can you clarify that this would also mean that the service provider will have a document to hand as of the requirements (even if the document is in a state of ongoing development)?. YES or NO

Please could you answer the following questions which you missed.
I have added Yes Or No to these and as such it is an amendment so l understand that his may cause you to take another 20 working days.

2. Is it a mandatory requirement that the network arrangements of each vascular network be clearly documented and have clearly articulated governance arrangements? YES or NO

3. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network have clear documentation regarding where inpatient, day case and outpatient services are provided within their network? YES or NO?

4. With regards to governance/audits of vascular networks, as part of this process are checks made to ensure that mandatory documentation has been produced? YES or NO

Yours faithfully

Mr. Kent

Dear FOI, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24),

With regards to this FOI (Ref: FOI-059530) request which you only partially answered, l still have not received the requested clarifications / missing answers as requested.

Can you please provide an update on when you will provide the requested data.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Kent

Mr. Kent left an annotation ()

After sending the above message l also sent a reminder via email.

Dear NHS England,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of NHS England's handling of my FOI request 'Specialised Vascular Services (Adults) specifications'.

The reason l request an internal review is that l was not satisfied with your response to my request your ref: FOI-059530.

On the 9th July l asked you to clarify one answer and to provide 3 of 5 that you failed to answer. You did not respond so on the 5th August l sent a reminder via the WhatDoTheyKnow asking about this, l also sent you a reminder via my personal email account. You have not responded to either

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,

Mr. Kent

FOI, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Mr Kent

 

Thank you for email of 15 August 2019. Please see this email as
acknowledgement of your Internal Review request.

 

We endeavour to respond to Internal Reviews within 20 working days.
However, please be aware that on some occasions this has been extended to
40 working days. An officer will be allocated to handle your Internal
Review and will update you accordingly where necessary.

 

If you have any queries about this request or wish to contact us again,
please email [1][NHS England request email] and the message will be
forwarded appropriately. Please remember to quote the above reference
number in any future communications.

 

To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of Information (FOI)
requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent directly to NHS
England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all communications
are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone number and email
details are as follows:- PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT; 0300 3 11 22 33,
[2][NHS England request email].

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [3][NHS England request email]

 

‘Health and high quality care for all, now and for future generations’

show quoted sections

FOI, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Mr Kent,

 

Re:      Freedom of Information Internal Review outcome (Our Ref:
FOI-059530 IR)

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) Internal Review request
dated 15 August 2019.

 

Your original FOI request was received by NHS England on 19 June 2019, and
read:-

 

““With regards to the Specialised Vascular Services (Adults)
specification  document (Service Specification No: 170004/S), that l
believe is used by  health care providers (such as hospitals) when
implementing a vascular  network as it defines the standards of care
expected, could you please  provide the following information:

 

 1. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network produce/have 
to hand documentation regarding the care pathways as mentioned within
the  aforementioned specialised services document?

 

 2. Is it a mandatory requirement that the network arrangements of each 
vascular network be clearly documented and have clearly articulated 
governance arrangements?

 

 3. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network have clear 
documentation regarding where inpatient, day case and outpatient
services  are provided within their network?.

 

 4. With regards to governance/audits of vascular networks, as part of
this  process are checks made to ensure that mandatory documentation
has been  produced?

 

 5. Is there a list that contains of all the documents that a vascular 
network must produce or l am correct in assuming that the minimum 
documentation required to be produced by a vascular network are those 
areas requiring documentation as mentioned within the aforementioned 
specialised services document?”

 

NHS England responded to your request on 9 July 2019, setting out a
narrative response to your questions.

 

Your wrote to us on 9 July 2019, asking for clarity on our response. Your
email read:

          “Please could you clarify your statements:

 

"The requirements described in a service specification will include
elements which are mandatory, but may also include elements that require
change and development over time to provide excellence in the field. For
example, the requirement to document care pathways may be understood as
developmental work for a vascular network since the specification states
that these ‘will be documented’."

 

I assume this statement was directly in relation to question 1 which was:

 

1. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network produce/have
to hand documentation regarding the care pathways as mentioned within the
aforementioned specialised services document?

 

For clarification of the above, l understand that care pathway documents
will be ongoing/developmental as advised, so can you clarify that this
would also mean that the service provider will have a document to hand as
of the requirements (even if the document is in a state of ongoing
development)?. YES or NO

 

Please could you answer the following questions which you missed.

I have added Yes Or No to these and as such it is an amendment so l
understand that his may cause you to take another 20 working days.

 

2. Is it a mandatory requirement that the network arrangements of each
vascular network be clearly documented and have clearly articulated
governance arrangements? YES or NO

 

3. Is it a mandatory requirement that each vascular network have clear
documentation regarding where inpatient, day case and outpatient services
are provided within their network? YES or NO?

 

4. With regards to governance/audits of vascular networks, as part of this
process are checks made to ensure that mandatory documentation has been
produced? YES or NO”

 

NHS England originally intended to deal with your email as a follow-up
enquiry. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, your email was not
appropriately handled. As such, on 15 August 2019, you wrote to NHS
England to advise that your email of 9 July 2019 should now be considered
an Internal Review request:

 

“I am writing to request an internal review of NHS England's handling of
my FOI request 'Specialised Vascular Services (Adults) specifications'.

 

The reason l request an internal review is that l was not satisfied with
your response to my request your ref: FOI-059530.

 

On the 9th July l asked you to clarify one answer and to provide 3 of 5
that you failed to answer. You did not respond so on the 5th August l sent
a reminder via the WhatDoTheyKnow asking about this, l also sent you a
reminder via my personal email account. You have not responded to either”

 

The FOI Management team have reviewed your request and this letter
provides the outcome of this review. It may be helpful if we first explain
that an Internal Review looks at the handling of, and response given to, a
Freedom of Information request which has previously been made. The scope
of an Internal Review is therefore limited to considering whether the
request(s) was appropriately handled and whether the response given was
accurate and appropriate. An Internal Review cannot consider any new
queries not originally included in the relevant FOI request(s); these
should be submitted as new FOI requests via our Contact Centre.

 

It was noted that your original response was issued within the statutory
guidelines of 20 working days. However, we sincerely apologise for the
error which resulted in your email of 9 July 2019 not being appropriately
actioned. This fell short of our standards and we would like to offer our
sincere apologies for the delay incurred.

 

We have also assessed whether you received an appropriate response to your
request and considered the comments you have set out in your Internal
Review email.

 

It is the conclusion of this review that NHS England’s original response
was accurate and appropriate. For ease of reference we have copied our
response below:

 

“The service specification for any service, including vascular services,
sets out the standards of care expected to be provided by the
organisation. The service specifications are core documents included in
the NHS Standard Contract between the commissioner (in this case, NHS
England), and the provider. The inclusion in the contract bundle
inherently means that there is a requirement to meet the standards
outlined.

 

The requirements described in a service specification will include
elements which are mandatory but may also include elements that require
change and development over time to provide excellence in the field. For
example, the requirement to document care pathways may be understood as
developmental work for a vascular network since the specification states
that these ‘will be documented’.

 

NHS England monitors compliance with the requirements of a service
specification through a variety of means including regular contact between
regional commissioners and providers; through the Specialised Services
Quality Dashboard; and through assessment against an agreed set of
indicators, either by self-assessment or peer review.

 

NHS England has no list of recommended documents beyond the items
described in the service specification.”

 

As stated in our response, NHS England has no list of recommended
documents beyond the items described in the service specification. We are
therefore satisfied that our original response appropriately addressed
your queries (and addresses the ‘yes/no’ questions you have set out in
your 9 July 2019 email). However, if NHS England misinterpreted your
request, we would be happy to reconsider a revised set of questions from
you. Alternatively, we may be able to offer some additional information
outside of the FOI Act.

 

The FOI Act gives you the right to ask any public sector organisation for
the recorded information they have on any subject. You can ask for any
information you think a public authority may hold. The right only covers
recorded information which includes information held on computers, in
emails and in printed or handwritten documents. Your request can be in the
form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, but the
authority does not have to answer your question if this would mean
creating new information or giving an opinion or judgment that is not
already recorded. If a public authority does not hold recorded information
relating to your question, they will advise you that they do not hold the
information.

 

As such, if you require information which cannot be dealt with under FOI,
you may wish to contact the NHS England Specialised Commissioning team via
[1][NHS England request email] who may be able to offer further information.

 

In line with the above, our original response is upheld.

 

We hope that this addresses your concerns. However, if you are not content
with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information
Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can be contacted at:

 

The Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Email: [2][email address]  

Website: [3]www.ico.org.uk

 

Please note there is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows:- PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [4][NHS England request email] .

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [5][NHS England request email]

 

‘Health and High quality care for all, now and for future generations’

show quoted sections

Mr. Kent left an annotation ()

NHS England have not answered my questions by playing games stating that the Internal review of original FOI is upheld, basically disregarding the amendments that l had made. The amendments that l made was to change the questions into a binary form so that they could be answered with a simple Yes or No.

They commented that may be l should revise my request and that they may have misinterpreted my amendments. How can anyone misinterpret Yes or No?

I will submit a new FOI as they have advised, and if they continue to play games l will then have no choice but to send a report to the ICO