Ensuring financial efficiencies

The request was successful.

Dear Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust,
I am researching the financial efficiency of the NHS. Under the FOI act, please provide all of the information that you are able to supply:

1. Which VAT advisor does the trust use? (E.g. Berthold Bauer, CRS, Liaison, EY, KPMG, etc.)
2. When did the contract start, and when does it end?
3. What % fee or day rate do you pay?
4. How much did you pay for VAT advisory services in 2014/15?
5. Do you use a provider for VAT re-reviews? If so, which one?
6. What % fee or day rate do you pay for a re-review service?
7. How much did you pay for this service in 2014/15?

8. Do you use any external provider to identify payments for duplicated invoices (please state name)?
9. When did the contract start, and when does it end?
What % fee or rates do you pay for the service?
10. How much did they invoice the trust in 2014/15?

11. How much bad debt (UK) was written off in 2014/15?
12. How much overseas debt was written off in 2014/15?
13. Do you use any external provider to assist with debt collection (please state name)?
14. What % fee or rates do you pay for the service?
15. How much did they invoice the trust in 2014/15?

16. Do you use any external provider to ensure invoices correlate to the contract charges i.e. checking volume discounts have been applied (please state name)?
17. What % fee or rates does the trust pay for this service?

Yours faithfully,

J Taylor

Kerr-Gold Alison (PA to Workforce Director),

1 Attachment

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your request for information.

The Trust acknowledges your request and it is being processed as a new request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you if necessary and you will be required to pay before I will proceed to deal with your request.

Please find attached a briefing which explains:

• your rights to request a review by the Trust or to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are not satisfied with the response from the Trust,
• an outline of the Trust’s policy on the Reuse of Public Sector Information

If you have any queries regarding this email, please contact me and quote the reference number above in any future correspondence.

Alison Kerr-Gold
Executive Assistant to the Workforce Director
Workforce Directorate
Trust Headquarters - Stretton House
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Mytton Oak Road
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
SY3 8XQ
Telephone 01743 261609


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show quoted sections

Prewitt Deborah,

3 Attachments

Dear Sir/Madam

 

Thank you for your FOI request sent on 23 July 2015. You asked:

 

1.            Which VAT advisor does the trust use? (E.g. Berthold Bauer,
CRS, Liaison, EY, KPMG, etc.)

2.            When did the contract start, and when does it end?

3.            What % fee or day rate do you pay?

4.            How much did you pay for VAT advisory services in 2014/15?

5.            Do you use a provider for VAT re-reviews? If so, which one?

6.            What % fee or day rate do you pay for a re-review service?

7.            How much did you pay for this service in 2014/15?

8.            Do you use any external provider to identify payments for
duplicated invoices (please state name)?

9.            When did the contract start, and when does it end?

What % fee or rates do you pay for the service?

10.          How much did they invoice the trust in 2014/15?

11.          How much bad debt (UK) was written off in 2014/15?

12.          How much overseas debt was written off in 2014/15?

13.          Do you use any external provider to assist with debt
collection (please state name)?

14.          What % fee or rates do you pay for the service?

15.          How much did they invoice the trust in 2014/15?

16.          Do you use any external provider to ensure invoices correlate
to the contract charges i.e. checking volume discounts have been applied
(please state name)?

17.          What % fee or rates does the trust pay for this service?

 

 

Under Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I can
confirm that The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust holds
information that falls within the  definition in your request which is set
out below:

1.            The Trust uses CRS VAT Consulting as their VAT advisors.

2.            The contract started 1 December 2014 and ends 30 November
2017.

3.            Under Section 43 of the Act, it is the view of The
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust that this information is exempt
from disclosure as releasing this information would prejudice our
abilities as a public authority to operate competitively within a
commercial market for the provision of VAT advisory services.
Specifically, releasing such information would reveal to potential
contractors the price structure that has been paid by the Trust and
thereby reduce our ability in future to negotiate prices that offer the
best value to the public purse.  The Trust has considered the public
interest test and given the potential burden on the public purse has
assessed that the public interest in disclosing this information is not
outweighed by the public interest in safeguarding the commercial interests
of the Trust. Given the commercial sensitivity of such information within
a changing market such information will not normally be released for a
period of no less than three years.

4.            In the 2014/15 financial year, the Trust paid £16,122 to
their previous VAT advisors (Baker Tilly) in the period up until 28
November. Fees for VAT advisory services from CRS VAT Consulting for the
remainder of the 2014/15 financial year are still to be agreed.

5.            We used VAT Liaison for a VAT re-review in 2012/13.

6.            Under Section 43 of the Act, it is the view of The
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust that this information is exempt
from disclosure as releasing this information would prejudice our
abilities as a public authority to operate competitively within a
commercial market for the provision of VAT re-review services.
Specifically, releasing such information would reveal to potential
contractors the price structure that has been paid by the Trust and
thereby reduce our ability in future to negotiate prices that offer the
best value to the public purse.  The Trust has considered the public
interest test and given the potential burden on the public purse has
assessed that the public interest in disclosing this information is not
outweighed by the public interest in safeguarding the commercial interests
of the Trust. Given the commercial sensitivity of such information within
a changing market such information will not normally be released for a
period of no less than three years.

7.            The Trust did not pay for this service in 2014/15.

8.            The Trust does not use any external provider to identify
payments for duplicated invoices.

9.            N/A

Fee - N/A

10.          N/A

11.          £41,007 bad debts were written off in 2014/15 including the
overseas debt below.

12.          £31,280 overseas debt was written off in 2014/15, However,
£8,398 of this amount has subsequently been paid back.

13.          The Trust uses CCI Legal Services Ltd to assist with debt
collection.

14.          Under Section 43 of the Act, it is the view of The Shrewsbury
and Telford Hospital NHS Trust that this information is exempt from
disclosure as releasing this information would prejudice our abilities as
a public authority to operate competitively within a commercial market for
the provision of debt collection services. Specifically, releasing such
information would reveal to potential contractors the price structure that
has been paid by the Trust and thereby reduce our ability in future to
negotiate prices that offer the best value to the public purse.  The Trust
has considered the public interest test and given the potential burden on
the public purse has assessed that the public interest in disclosing this
information is not outweighed by the public interest in safeguarding the
commercial interests of the Trust. Given the commercial sensitivity of
such information within a changing market such information will not
normally be released for a period of no less than three years.

15.          The Trust was invoiced £6,329 by CCI Legal Services Ltd in
2014/15.

16.          The Trust does not use any external provider to ensure
invoices correlate to the contract charges.

17.          N/A

 

Please also find attached:

·         A briefing which explains your rights to request a review by the
Trust or to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are
not satisfied with the response from the Trust, and an outline of the
Trust’s policy on the Reuse of Public Sector Information, and

·         A feedback survey.

 

Please complete the feedback survey and send it back to the Trust via
email to [1][Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust request email] or by post to Freedom of Information Officer,
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital,
Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 8XQ.

 

If you have any queries regarding this email, please contact the Freedom
of Information Officer via [2][Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust request email] and quote the reference
number above in any future correspondence.

 

 

Hello, My Name Is ...

 

Deborah Prewitt [4]Description: Description:
Values logo
Communications and Engagement Officer

 

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
| Royal Shrewsbury Hospital | Mytton Oak Road
| Shrewsbury | Shropshire | SY3 8XQ

 

Telephone 01743 492274 |
Email [3][email address] | 

 

               

 

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