Trust losses and special payments: FOIA

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Sir or Madam,

This is a FOIA request. The Trust is required to provide information on losses and special payments in its annual report. I am writing to request additional, more detailed information regarding these losses and payments. I am making this request because I believe there is a clear and compelling public interest in understanding more about the types of losses and special payments the Trust makes.

1. Losses and special payments

Please provide a copy of your losses and special payments register or database for the year 2016-17. I would expect this information to include, but not necessarily be limited to:

a) Category of loss or special payment (e.g. bad debt, fruitless payment, compensation payment made under legal obligation) as defined in relevant losses and special payments policy or procedure documents.
b) A summary of the loss
c) Amount paid out in £ Sterling (or other currency)
d) Debtor name (where that debtor is a company or disclosure of a person’s name is permitted by the data protection provisions of s.40)

2. Bad debts

a) Please state how much bad debt was written off in the year 2016-17.
b) If, and only if, you hold the information in an easily retrievable format, i.e. not in individual case files, please state how much of this bad debt was non-NHS and/or private patient debt write offs and/or overseas visitors related.

This request is only concerned with information which is easily exportable and does not require the Trust to review individual case files, which might trigger the cost threshold (s.12). I am interested in any and all relevant information which is easily exportable and that provides greater clarity on how losses were accrued and special payments were made, but which is not published in your annual report. The information I am requesting should not, therefore, be caught by s.21 or s.22.

If you consider that some information is exempt from disclosure please cite the section of the FOIA you are using to redact information. Please also ensure any redactions you make are sufficiently granular and do not withhold information on a 'blanket' basis. When applying exemptions which contain a public interest test, please also explain, in line with the guiding principles of the Information Tribunal, how the public interest would be, or would be likely to be, materially prejudiced by disclosure.

I would be grateful if you could be mindful of your statutory duty to provide advice and assist to requesters (s.16) when responding to this request. I would prefer to receive all information electronically and in machine-readable formats (such as .xls) where applicable. I would also be grateful if you could acknowledge receipt of this request.

Thank you for the time you will invest in providing a response.

Gratefully,

Lucas Amin

SWBH-GM-FOIRequests (SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST), Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Dear Mr Amin

 

Thank you for your freedom of information request received on  06
September 2017 in which you have requested the following information:

 

This is a FOIA request. The Trust is required to provide information on
losses and special payments in its annual report. I am writing to request
additional, more detailed information regarding these losses and payments.
I am making this request because I believe there is a clear and compelling
public interest in understanding more about the types of losses and
special payments the Trust makes.

 

1. Losses and special payments

 

Please provide a copy of your losses and special payments register or
database for the year 2016-17. I would expect this information to include,
but not necessarily be limited to:

 

a) Category of loss or special payment (e.g. bad debt, fruitless payment,
compensation payment made under legal obligation) as defined in relevant
losses and special payments policy or procedure documents.

b) A summary of the loss

c) Amount paid out in £ Sterling (or other currency)

d) Debtor name (where that debtor is a company or disclosure of a person’s
name is permitted by the data protection provisions of s.40)

 

2. Bad debts

 

a) Please state how much bad debt was written off in the year 2016-17.

b) If, and only if, you hold the information in an easily retrievable
format, i.e. not in individual case files, please state how much of this
bad debt was non-NHS and/or private patient debt write offs and/or
overseas visitors related.

 

This request is only concerned with information which is easily exportable
and does not require the Trust to review individual case files, which
might trigger the cost threshold (s.12). I am interested in any and all
relevant information which is easily exportable and that provides greater
clarity on how losses were accrued and special payments were made, but
which is not published in your annual report. The information I am
requesting should not, therefore, be caught by s.21 or s.22.

 

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. You will receive a response within the statutory
timescale of 20 working days after the date of receipt as defined by the
Act, subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference
to a third party. In some circumstances we may be unable to achieve this
deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
timescale at the earliest opportunity.

 

In some cases there may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and
provision of the information you request. If this is the case you will be
informed and the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we
receive payment from you. If you choose not to make payment then your
request will remain unanswered.

 

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

 

Kind regards

 

 

Steven Waweru

Interim Freedom of Information Officer

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust

Trust Headquarters, Sandwell Hospital, Lyndon, West Bromwich, B71 4HJ

 

 

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Dear Sir or Madam

Kindly provide a response to my FOIA request of 5 September asap. Thank you.

SWBH-GM-FOIRequests (SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST), Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in providing a response to you.
This is due to transition of post-holders in the trust.
I have chased the information today and hope to be back in touch this week.

With kind regards.

Clare Dooley
Head of Corporate Governance/Trust Board Secretary
Tel: 0121 507 3837 / 07970 229794
Email: [email address]
Address: Trust Headquarters, Health and Wellbeing Centre, Sandwell General Hospital, Lyndon, West Bromwich B71 4HJ

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