Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0EU
www.gov.uk/dhsc
Mr Paul Calvert
By email to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
24 April 2025
Dear Mr Calvert,
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1595775 and FOI-1596058
Thank you for your requests dated 25 March to the Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC), copies of which can be found in the accompanying annexes.
Your requests have been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
Please note that where two or more requests for the same or similar information are made
to a public authority within a period of 60 working days, regulations 5(1) and 5(2) of the
Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations
2004 (the Fees Regulations) allow that public authority to aggregate those requests. We
have therefore aggregated your requests.
DHSC holds information relevant to your requests.
However, to provide the information as it is currently framed would exceed the appropriate
cost limit set out in the FOIA.
Section 12(1) of the FOIA means public authorities are not obliged to comply with a
request for information if they estimate the cost of complying would exceed the appropriate
limit. The appropriate limit for DHSC is set at £600, which represents the cost of one
person spending 24 working hours determining whether we hold the information, and then
locating, retrieving and extracting the information.
We have estimated that the cost of searching approximately 8,000 files to locate, retrieve
and extract the information you have requested would exceed the appropriate limit. We
initially commissioned a search against the information requested in FOI-1595775. This
identified 8,196 electronic files which would cost over £10,000 to review. Based on the
number of files identified, we have not estimated or searched for any information that
DHSC may hold in relation to the second part of your request in FOI-1596058. Cabinet
Office guidance to government departments sets out that, where section 12 applies to one
part of a request, we deem the entire request as being over the cost limit, as advised by
the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Although we cannot answer your request at the moment, we may be able to answer a
refined request within the cost limit. You may wish to consider, for example, the following:
• Narrowing the window of the period in which information is sought;
• Providing some specific search terms, including a combination of search terms
which you would like DHSC to search against;
• If you have made any similar requests to NHS England (NHSE) and information
was disclosed (such as names of individuals within NHSE or a police force or
specific bodies/organisations), providing information from those documents that
could refine the search of departmental records;
• Being more specific about which organisations the searches should be sought
against as opposed to ‘relevant bodies’.
The requests you have submitted are wide in scope and time frame. A more specific
refined request wil enable us to identify accurately the information you are seeking.
Please be aware that we cannot guarantee at this stage that a refined request would fall
within the FOIA cost limit, or that other exemptions wil not apply.
If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you can request we undertake an
internal review. If doing so, it would be helpful for you to be explicit which areas of the
Freedom of Information response you consider dissatisfactory. Complaints to us should be
sent to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx or to the address at the top of this letter and be
submit ed within 40 working days of the date of this letter.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communication.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may complain directly
to the ICO. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already
complained to us about our original response and received our response to your complaint
and, if applicable, our internal review decision. You should raise your concerns with the
ICO within six weeks of your last substantive contact with us.
Guidance on contacting the ICO can be found at https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us and
information about making a complaint can be found at https:/ ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Team
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Annex A
(Our ref: FOI-1595775)
From: Paul Calvert <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
Sent: 25 March 2025 15:58
To: FreedomofInformation <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Subject: Freedom of Information Request –
Appointment of NHS England to Lead NEAS Review
25th March 2025
Subject: Freedom of Information Request – Appointment of NHS England to Lead NEAS
Review
Dear Department of Health and Social Care,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting the following information
regarding the Department of Health and Social Care’s decision in June 2022 to appoint
NHS England to lead the review of the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), as
announced by then-Health Secretary Sajid Javid on 23 June 2022:
Copies of any internal DHSC correspondence (e.g., emails, memos, or briefings) or
meeting minutes from July 2021 to 31st August 2022, that discuss NHS England’s
response—or lack thereof—to whistleblower concerns about NEAS raised in 2021,
particularly regarding patient deaths and coronial evidence handling.
Details of the due diligence process undertaken by the DHSC to assess NHS England’s
suitability to lead the NEAS review, including:
Any risk assessments, evaluations, or documented discussions considering NHS
England’s prior failure to act on the 2021 whistleblower concerns.
Any analysis of potential conflicts of interest arising from NHS England’s oversight role
over NEAS.
Copies of any correspondence (e.g., emails, letters, or meeting notes) between the DHSC
and NHS England from 22 May 2022 to 31 August 2022 regarding the decision to appoint
NHS England to lead the NEAS review, including any instructions or terms of reference
provided by the DHSC.
Please provide the requested information in electronic format where possible. If any part of
this request is exempt under the Act, please specify the exemption and provide an
explanation.
I understand you have 20 working days to respond from receipt of this request.
Thank you for your assistance.
Yours Faithfully,
Paul Calvert
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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Annex B
(Our ref: FOI-1596058)
From: Paul Calvert <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
Sent: 25 March 2025 15:17
To: FreedomofInformation <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Documents Supporting Maria Caulfield’s 23
May 2022 Statement on North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Date: Tuesday 25 March 2025
Subject: Freedom of Information Request – Documents Supporting Maria Caulfield’s 23
May 2022 Statement on the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Dear DHSC FOI Team,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request access to all documents held by the
Department of Health and Social Care that were used to inform or support Maria
Caulfield’s statement in the House of Commons on 23 May 2022 (Hansard,
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-05-23/debates/B86A2895-6C72-4A47-B585-
9658963E7923/NorthEastAmbulanceService#contribution-8D33D408-7998-46FD-AFDE-
D95BBFBC4E01).
During the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) debate, in response to Chris Bryant
MP’s question about whether providing false information to a coroner should be
investigated by police, Caulfield stated: “I reassure the hon. Gentleman that the police
have investigated and that they did not find evidence of that.”
Specifically, I seek:
Briefing notes, memoranda, or ministerial submissions prepared for Maria Caulfield
between 1 January 2022 and 23 May 2022 relating to the Northumbria Police investigation
into NEAS’s coronial reporting practices.
Correspondence between DHSC and Northumbria Police, NEAS, or other relevant bodies
(e.g., coroners, regulators) from the same period concerning this investigation or its
findings.
Any internal DHSC records (e.g., emails, meeting minutes) from the same period that
reference the police investigation’s outcome as cited by Caulfield.
This request is prompted by evidence contradicting her statement, namely, a Northumbria
Police FOI response (24 August 2023) confirming a crime of “perverting the course of
justice” was recorded in 2020, thus raising questions about the basis of her claim. I aim to
clarify what information the DHSC provided her, given the public interest in NEAS’s actions
linked to patient deaths and suppressed reports.
Please confirm receipt of this request and provide the information within 20 working days,
as required by FOIA. . Should any exemptions apply, I request a detailed explanation and
partial disclosure where possible.
If costs exceed the FOIA limit, please advise how I can refine the request.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Calvert
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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
