Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care www.gov.uk/dhsc
39 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0EU
Robin Keith
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 17 June 2019
Dear Mr/Ms Keith,
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1175025
Thank you for your request dated 20 March, in which you asked the Department of Health and
Social Care (DHSC):
“I've recently been bombarded with adverts on Facebook advertising the NHS long term plan, from
HM Government.
Could you please let me know which government department funded these ads, and the total
advertising spend. I'd also appreciate if you could let me know the average annual salary of a
nurse in the NHS.
Could also let me know the rationale for this campaign? For example, how does it improve patient
healthcare, or address funding gaps in NHS services?
I would also be interested to learn why the campaign was timed to be just before local elections,
and who was responsible for that decision.”
Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). I apologise for the
delay in replying.
DHSC holds some of the information you have requested.
The Facebook adverts about the NHS Long Term Plan were funded by DHSC. The net spend on
Facebook was £146,872.39.
The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, sets out the priorities for the NHS over the
next 10 years. As a result, the Department and NHS England have a duty to explain, to as many
people as possible, what the Plan means for them in advance of its implementation.
DHSC worked with NHS England and NHS Improvement to develop and deliver a short digital
campaign explaining the key features of the Plan, targeted towards sections of the UK public who
acquire most of their information online and are likely to be heavy users of the NHS in the future.
The campaign ran from April to June 2019. There have also been a range of engagement activities
carried out by local NHS organisations around the country, designed to draw in views of patients
and citizens to support local implementation of the Plan. It is important to us that people are aware
of the Plan’s priorities and feel able to feed into local discussions as appropriate, for their voice to
be reflected in the improvements we make to services in the years ahead.
You can find out more about the Long Term Plan here:
www.longtermplan.nhs.uk. We are not holding any information in relation to your other questions. The FOIA does not require
public authorities to generate new information to answer questions, including providing
explanations or giving opinions, unless this is recorded information that they already hold.
Outside the scope of the FOIA, you may be interested to know the mean annual earnings for a
nurse in the NHS is £32,280 as of December 2018, according to data collected by NHS Digital.
You may find more information on NHS staff earnings here:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-
information/publications/statistical/nhs-staff-earnings-estimates/december-2018-provisional-
statistics. If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to appeal by asking for
an internal review. This should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the
response to your original letter and should be addressed to the address at the top of this letter, or
the email address at the end of this letter.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may complain directly to the
Information Commissioner (ICO) who may decide to investigate your concerns. Generally, the ICO
cannot make a decision unless you have already appealed our original response, and received our
internal review response. The ICO will not usually investigate concerns where there has been an
undue delay in bringing it to their attention. You should raise your concerns with them within three
months of your last meaningful contact with us.
The ICO can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ Yours sincerely,
Lauren Der
Freedom of Information Officer
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx