Details of Dental Referral Management in KSS Area Team

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

Dear NHS England,

I am writing in relation to the recent tender process for an Electronic Referral Management System for the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Area Team.

Can you please provide information on:

a)Who was the successful bidder for this tender?

b)What pre-tender engagement was undertaken with this bidder prior to the release of the tender documents. Please provide dates, times and the individuals present.

c)What pre-tender engagement was undertaken with any of the unsuccessful bidders?Please provide dates, times and the individuals present.

d)Were bidder interviews conducted as part of the process and if not why not?

e)What experience of dental referral management did the successful bidder demonstrate?

f)Please consider the following statements taken from the HSCIC website:

What's the difference between a Commercial Third Party and an NHS Business Partner?

A Commercial Third Party (CTP) is an organisation external to the NHS, that contracts with an NHS establishment to provide goods, services or business that directly or indirectly support the care provided to patients by that establishment. For example this will include organisations that provide information services to the NHS (eg IT support), and also those that host or manage the N3 connection on behalf of another non-NHS organisation.

An NHS Business Partner (NHSBP) is an organisation that, whilst remaining independent, works closely with NHS organisations and shares common goals for providing high standards of healthcare directly to patients. The category includes DH Arms Length Bodies (DH ALBs) and Independent Treatment Centres. The term Independent Treatment Centre encompasses Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs), private hospitals, hospices etc.

NHS Business Partners are distinct (in IG terms) from Commercial Third Parties, as the nature of their services suggests that they are more likely to have a need to actively process patient or personal data on a regular basis. Commercial Third Parties should not under normal circumstances have such a requirement, although in exceptional cases (eg incident investigations) this may be required.

Please can you confirm that the successful bidder had, at the time of the contract award, registered as an NHS Business Partner and had acquired a satisfactory IGTK score in this respect? If this is not the case can the Area Team please explain why not and justify the award given that as a "daily processor of patient data" the successful organisation did not need this level of IGTK?

Yours faithfully,

Simon Johnson

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS England

Dear Mr Johnson,

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request, dated 24 July
2015.

 

Please be assured that your request is being dealt with under the terms of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty
working days.

 

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

Patients and Information Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [3][NHS England request email]

 

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

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[NHS England request email]
2. mailto:[NHS England request email]
3. mailto:[NHS England request email]

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS England

Dear Mr Johnson,

 

Re:      Freedom of Information request (Our Ref: FOI-008008)

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 24 July
2015.

 

Your exact request was:-

 

“I am writing in relation to the recent tender process for an Electronic
Referral Management System for the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Area Team.

 

Can you please provide information on:

 

a)         Who was the successful bidder for this tender?

 

b)         What pre-tender engagement was undertaken with this bidder
prior to the release of the tender documents. Please provide dates, times
and the individuals present.

 

c)         What pre-tender engagement was undertaken with any of the
unsuccessful bidders? Please provide dates, times and the individuals
present.

 

d)         Were bidder interviews conducted as part of the process and if
not why not?

 

e)         What experience of dental referral management did the
successful bidder demonstrate?

 

f)          Please consider the following statements taken from the HSCIC
website:

 

What's the difference between a Commercial Third Party and an NHS Business
Partner?

 

A Commercial Third Party (CTP) is an organisation external to the NHS,
that contracts with an NHS establishment to provide goods, services or
business that directly or indirectly support the care provided to patients
by that establishment. For example this will include organisations that
provide information services to the NHS (eg IT support), and also those
that host or manage the N3 connection on behalf of another non-NHS
organisation.

 

An NHS Business Partner (NHSBP) is an organisation that, whilst remaining
independent, works closely with NHS organisations and shares common goals
for providing high standards of healthcare directly to patients. The
category includes DH Arms Length Bodies (DH ALBs) and Independent
Treatment Centres. The term Independent Treatment Centre encompasses
Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs), private hospitals, hospices
etc.

 

NHS Business Partners are distinct (in IG terms) from Commercial Third
Parties, as the nature of their services suggests that they are more
likely to have a need to actively process patient or personal data on a
regular basis. Commercial Third Parties should not under normal
circumstances have such a requirement, although in exceptional cases (eg
incident investigations) this may be required.

 

Please can you confirm that the successful bidder had, at the time of the
contract award, registered as an NHS Business Partner and had acquired a
satisfactory IGTK score in this respect?  If this is not the case can the
Area Team please explain why not and justify the award given that as a
"daily processor of patient data" the successful organisation did not need
this level of IGTK?”

 

 

NHS England holds the information requested. For your convenience, we have
presented the information in a similar format to your requests.

 

a)         The successful bidder for this tender was Vantage Diagnostics
Ltd.

b)         NHS England – South (South East) and formerly the Kent and
Medway and Surrey and Sussex Area Teams, were not involved in any
pre-tender engagement with the successful bidder in relation to Dental
Electronic Referral Service in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

c)         NHS England – South (South East) and formerly the Kent and
Medway and Surrey and Sussex Area Teams, did not participate in any
pre-tender engagement with the unsuccessful bidders in relation to Dental
Electronic Referral Service in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

d)         Bidder interviews were not conducted as part of this process.
The MOI documentation for this tender reserved the option of interviews
and in this case they were not necessary given the differences between
scores from the written submissions.

e)         The successful bidder demonstrated sufficient experience of
implementing and delivering and electronic dental referral service.

f)          The successful bidder had at the time of the contract award
demonstrated the compliance of their service through NHS Business Partner
arrangements and they had demonstrated a satisfactory Information
Governance Tool Kit (IGTK) score.

 

I hope this information is helpful. However, if you are dissatisfied, you
have the right to ask for an internal review by writing to us, within two
months of the date of this letter, to:

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Email: [NHS England request email]

 

Please quote the reference number FOI-008008 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: [email address]  

Website: www.ico.gov.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, [NHS England request email].

   

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Patients and Information Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [NHS England request email]

 

show quoted sections

Dear FOI England (NHS ENGLAND),

Thank you very much for you reply which is comprehensive but, in relation to Part E and F I would like some more detail and to ask a further supplemental question ?

e) The successful bidder demonstrated sufficient experience of
implementing and delivering and electronic dental referral service.

Can you please provide details of the NHS areas that have commissioned dental referral management (rather than medical) services from Vantage Diagnostics, the duration of these contracts and if they were commissioned or pilot projects? Please provide the information that led you to believe that they demonstrated sufficient experience of implementing and delivering an electronic dental referral service.

f) The successful bidder had at the time of the contract award
demonstrated the compliance of their service through NHS Business Partner
arrangements and they had demonstrated a satisfactory Information
Governance Tool Kit (IGTK) score.

I have taken the opportunity of looking at Vantage Diagnostics IGTK submission:

As organisation code 83HP38 (I assume this is correct, but please let me know if not), Vantage are a Commercial Third Party - not an NHS Business Partner and acquired a score of 66% on the C3P toolkit - you will be aware that the NHS BP toolkit is considerably more rigorous as it relates to the handling of patient data - something that a C3P should not do. Please can you explain how the answer you have provided above tallies with information on the IGTK site and how, if correct, this would be an HSCIC compliant service? If there are other parties involved in the data handling or processing that negate the need for Vantage to be an NHS BP please can you explain these? Again, I would ask that in addition to these comments you provide the information that was supplied from Vantage that gave you confidence that their IG arrangements were correct and suitable for operating a service that would handle, on a daily basis, sensitive patient data?

My final, additional question, relates to the service start date and information for dentists and patients in the KSS area? Can you advise:

a) The date the service is to start
b) Is there a website or similar that provides information to dentists and patients on the new arrangements?
c) Please send copies of any correspondence between the NHS and practices, or Vantage and practices

Yours sincerely,

Simon Johnson

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS England

 

Dear Mr Johnson,

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request, dated 19 August
2015. This was a follow up to FOI -008008 and, as such, has been allocated
a new reference number of FOI-008232.

 

Please be assured that your request is being dealt with under the terms of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty
working days.

 

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

Patients and Information Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [3][NHS England request email]

 

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

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[NHS England request email]
2. mailto:[NHS England request email]
3. mailto:[NHS England request email]

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS England

Dear Mr Johnson,

 

Re:      Freedom of Information request (Our Ref: FOI-008249)

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 19 August
2015 which was a follow up to request FOI-008008

 

Your exact request was:-

 

“e)         The successful bidder demonstrated sufficient experience of

implementing and delivering and electronic dental referral service.

 

Can you please provide details of the NHS areas that have commissioned
dental referral management (rather than medical) services from Vantage
Diagnostics, the duration of these contracts and if they were commissioned
or pilot projects? Please provide the information that led you to believe
that they demonstrated sufficient experience of implementing and
delivering an electronic dental referral service.

 

f)          The successful bidder had at the time of the contract award

demonstrated the compliance of their service through NHS Business Partner
arrangements and they had demonstrated a satisfactory Information
Governance Tool Kit (IGTK) score.

 

I have taken the opportunity of looking at Vantage Diagnostics IGTK
submission:

           

As organisation code 83HP38 (I assume this is correct, but please let me
know if not), Vantage are a Commercial Third Party - not an NHS Business
Partner and acquired a score of 66% on the C3P toolkit - you will be aware
that the NHS BP toolkit is considerably more rigorous as it relates to the
handling of patient data - something that a C3P should not do.  Please can
you explain how the answer you have provided above tallies with
information on the IGTK site and how, if correct, this would be an HSCIC
compliant service?  If there are other parties involved in the data
handling or processing that negate the need for Vantage to be an NHS BP
please can you explain these? Again, I would ask that in addition to these
comments you provide the information that was supplied from Vantage that
gave you confidence that their IG arrangements were correct and suitable
for operating a service that would handle, on a daily basis, sensitive
patient data?

           

My final, additional question, relates to the service start date and
information for dentists and patients in the KSS area?  Can you advise:

 

a) The date the service is to start

b) Is there a website or similar that provides information to dentists and
patients on the new arrangements?

c) Please send copies of any correspondence between the NHS and practices,
or Vantage and practices”

 

NHS England holds some of this information.

 

I will respond to your queries in the same order in which they were raised
and with the same designation.

 

e) I can advise that Vantage Diagnostics demonstrated experience of
implementing and delivering a dental specific electronic referral service
in North West London. The development was over a 2 year period and pilot
commenced December 2014.

 

f) Vantage Diagnostics and their commercial partner Carelink have
demonstrated compliance with HSCIC requirements both in relation to NHS
Business Partnering processes and Information Governance. Carelink
provides N3 hosting and data centre services to more than 260 NHS
organisations and complies with the HSCIC Code of Connect agreement which
is required for NHS Business Partners.

 

a) I can advise that the service is due to commence on 1 October 2015.

 

b) There is no website containing the information to which you are
referring.

 

c) NHS England holds this information. Please find attached a copy of the
letter which was sent to the practices.

 

I hope this information is helpful. However, if you are dissatisfied, you
have the right to ask for an internal review by writing to us, within two
months of the date of this letter, to:

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Email: [NHS England request email]

 

Please quote the reference number FOI-008249 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: [email address]  

Website: www.ico.gov.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, [NHS England request email].

   

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Patients and Information Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [NHS England request email]

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear FOI England (NHS ENGLAND),

Thank you very much for your assistance.

You made reference to an attached letter - but none was attached?

Could you resend with an attachment?

Also - can you please provide me with Carelink's NHS organisation code, when I visited the IGTK look up service there was no reference to Carelink so they may be registered in another name? I would like to confirm that they are an NHS Business Partner as you state, most N3 hosting groups are Commercial Third Parties as they do not have access to PID, rather they simply provide an infrastructure in which the data are stored.

I am very grateful for the time you are taking to respond to my questions, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Johnson

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS England

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Johnson,

 

 

I apologise that the letter referred to in our original response was not
attached. Please find the relevant letter attached to this e-mail.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Patients and Information Directorate

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear FOI England (NHS ENGLAND),

Many thanks for sending the attachment and I look forward to your response in relation to the Organisation Code for Carelink.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Johnson

Dear FOI England (NHS ENGLAND),

Further to your last response I did have a clarification - please see below.

Please provide me with Carelink's NHS organisation
code, when I visited the IGTK look up service there was no
reference to Carelink so they may be registered in another name? I
would like to confirm that they are an NHS Business Partner as you
state, most N3 hosting groups are Commercial Third Parties as they
do not have access to PID, rather they simply provide an
infrastructure in which the data are stored.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Johnson

Dear FOI England (NHS ENGLAND),

Further to your last response I did have a clarification - please
see below.

Please provide me with Carelink's NHS organisation code, when I visited the IGTK look up service there was no
reference to Carelink so they may be registered in another name? I would like to confirm that they are an NHS Business Partner as you state, most N3 hosting groups are Commercial Third Parties as they do not have access to PID, rather they simply provide an infrastructure in which the data are stored.

Please respond within the 20 days as required by the ICO or I will ask for an internal review or report this matter to the ICO.

You have stated that there is appropriate HSCIC IGTK surrounding this system yet, using the public record (the IGTK search tool) I have been unable to confirm this?

As an advocate for patient data safety and appropriate regulation I am very concerned that you have not replied.

Please do so.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Johnson