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Your receipt of this means that we have safely received your email.

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as soon as we can.

Since 6 December 2023, the GMC has been subject to the Welsh Language
Standards. You are welcome to contact us in Welsh and we will respond in
Welsh, without this causing additional delay.

In the meantime, if you want any further information about the GMC, please
visit our website: [1]Home - GMC (gmc-uk.org)

General Medical Council

We work with doctors, patients, and other stakeholders to support good,
safe patient care across the UK. We set the standards doctors and those
who train them need to meet, and help them achieve them. If there are
concerns these standards may not be met or that public confidence in
doctors may be at risk, we can investigate, and take action if needed.

This email may contain privileged or confidential information which should
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If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error, please
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The General Medical Council is a charity registered in England and Wales
(1089278) and in Scotland (SC037750)

You are welcome to contact us in Welsh. We will respond in Welsh, without
this causing additional delay.

_________________________________________________________________

Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol

Rydym yn gweithio gyda meddygon, cleifion a rhanddeiliaid eraill i
gynorthwyo gofal da a diogel i gleifion ar draws y DU. Rydym yn gosod y
safonau y bydd angen i feddygon a’r rhai sy’n eu hyfforddi eu bodloni, ac
yn eu helpu i’w cyflawni. Os bydd pryderon efallai na fydd y safonau hyn
yn cael eu cyflawni neu y gallai hyder y cyhoedd mewn meddygon fod mewn
perygl, gallwn ymchwilio, a gweithredu os oes angen.

Efallai bod y neges e-bost hon yn cynnwys gwybodaeth freiniol neu
gyfrinachol, y dylid ei defnyddio at y diben y’i hanfonwyd yn unig.

Os nad chi yw’r derbynnydd neu os ydych chi wedi cael yr e-bost hwn mewn
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gweithredu mewn ffordd sy’n dibynnu arni neu unrhyw atodiadau os gwelwch
yn dda. Dylech anfon e-bost at yr anfonwr ac yna, ei ddileu ar unwaith.

Mae’r Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol yn elusen gofrestredig yng Nghymru a
Lloegr (1089278) ac yn Yr Alban (SC037750)

Mae croeso i chi gysylltu â ni yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb yn Gymraeg,
heb i hyn achosi oedi ychwanegol.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gmc-uk.org/

Thank you for getting in touch. Please note this is an automated email.
Your receipt of this means that we have safely received your email.

We are currently receiving a high volume of requests and there will be a
delay in getting back to you with a further acknowledgement. We will do so
as soon as we can.

Since 6 December 2023, the GMC has been subject to the Welsh Language
Standards. You are welcome to contact us in Welsh and we will respond in
Welsh, without this causing additional delay.

In the meantime, if you want any further information about the GMC, please
visit our website: [1]Home - GMC (gmc-uk.org)

General Medical Council

We work with doctors, patients, and other stakeholders to support good,
safe patient care across the UK. We set the standards doctors and those
who train them need to meet, and help them achieve them. If there are
concerns these standards may not be met or that public confidence in
doctors may be at risk, we can investigate, and take action if needed.

This email may contain privileged or confidential information which should
only be used for the purpose for which it has been sent.

If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error, please
do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it or any
attachments. Please email the sender and then immediately delete it.

The General Medical Council is a charity registered in England and Wales
(1089278) and in Scotland (SC037750)

You are welcome to contact us in Welsh. We will respond in Welsh, without
this causing additional delay.

_________________________________________________________________

Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol

Rydym yn gweithio gyda meddygon, cleifion a rhanddeiliaid eraill i
gynorthwyo gofal da a diogel i gleifion ar draws y DU. Rydym yn gosod y
safonau y bydd angen i feddygon a’r rhai sy’n eu hyfforddi eu bodloni, ac
yn eu helpu i’w cyflawni. Os bydd pryderon efallai na fydd y safonau hyn
yn cael eu cyflawni neu y gallai hyder y cyhoedd mewn meddygon fod mewn
perygl, gallwn ymchwilio, a gweithredu os oes angen.

Efallai bod y neges e-bost hon yn cynnwys gwybodaeth freiniol neu
gyfrinachol, y dylid ei defnyddio at y diben y’i hanfonwyd yn unig.

Os nad chi yw’r derbynnydd neu os ydych chi wedi cael yr e-bost hwn mewn
camgymeriad, peidiwch â’i ddarllen, argraffu, ail-anfon, storio na
gweithredu mewn ffordd sy’n dibynnu arni neu unrhyw atodiadau os gwelwch
yn dda. Dylech anfon e-bost at yr anfonwr ac yna, ei ddileu ar unwaith.

Mae’r Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol yn elusen gofrestredig yng Nghymru a
Lloegr (1089278) ac yn Yr Alban (SC037750)

Mae croeso i chi gysylltu â ni yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb yn Gymraeg,
heb i hyn achosi oedi ychwanegol.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gmc-uk.org/

Dear Seymour Borealis,

Your information request - IR1-4614472385

Thank you for your email dated 2 October in which you amend the request.

How we will consider your request

We’re going to consider your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond, but we’ll come
back to you as soon as we can.

Yours sincerely

Information Access Team

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

From: Seymour Borealis <[FOI #1181909 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 8:54 AM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Internal Messaging Services/Apps
- MAP related communications

Dear Sir/Madam, Re: Freedom of Information Request I am writing to request
information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Specifically, I
seek the following details: [1] Total Number Of Enquiries Received Please
provide the total number

Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Freedom of Information Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Specifically, I seek the following details:

[1] Total Number Of Enquiries Received

Please provide the total number of telephone and live chat enquiries received by the General Medical Council in each calendar month since September 2023.

[2] Enquiries Related to Medical Associate Professionals (MAPs)

For each of the same calendar months, could you also provide the number of telephone and live chat enquiries which related to concerns regarding Medical Associate Professionals (MAPs), including Physician Associates (PAs), Anaesthesia Associates (AAs), and Surgical Care Practitioners (SCPs)?

[3] Summary Of Enquiries/Concerns

If feasible, I would appreciate a brief summary (or category) of the nature of the concerns/enquiries raised in each of the calls/chats which related to MAPs (identified in [2]), again organised by month.

Please ensure that any personal data or sensitive information is redacted in accordance with data protection legislation. Should you be unable to provide some of the requested information, I kindly ask that you supply as much as possible and offer an explanation for any withheld data, citing the relevant exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.

I look forward to receiving your response within the statutory 20 working days. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Seymour Borealis

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[1][FOI #1181909 email]

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[6]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

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show quoted sections

Dear Seymour,

Your information requests - IR1-4614472129, IR1-4614472280,
IR1-4614472385, IR1-4625865305, IR1-4629605473, IR1-4633736611

Thank you for your emails in relation to your above requests. I have
considered all of these requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA).

I am unable to provide you with the information you have requested. This
is because of the amount of data you’ve asked for and the work that would
be involved. Under FOIA there’s an exemption for requests where it would
cost the public authority more than £450 to process - equivalent to 18
hours. This is based on an hourly rate of £25 per hour, which is set by
the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
This amount is called the ‘appropriate limit.’ To estimate the cost, we
can take into account determining, locating, retrieving and extracting the
information requested.

Amalgamation of requests

When a public authority estimates whether the appropriate limit is likely
to be exceeded, the [1]Freedom of Information and Data Protection
(Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 states that it can include
the costs of complying with two or more requests so long as the requests:

• Relate, to any extent, to the same or similar information, and

• Are received within any period of 60 consecutive working days.

Please note that I am including your information requests made on 1
October, 2 October, 10 October and 11 October 2024 when determining
whether the ‘appropriate limit’ has been exceeded. These requests relating
to the regulation of Physician Associates and/or Anaesthesia Associates.
These requests have been made within a period of 60 consecutive working
days.

The exemption

Under the FOIA, the specific exemption which we believe applies is at
section 12. This states that we are not required to comply with a request
if we estimate that the cost of doing so would exceed the appropriate
limit.

For instance, by just focusing on your request dated 1 October 2024 where
you have asked “Please provide any intelligence gathered over the last 12
months from information on X (formerly Twitter). This may include internal
emails, reports, or any other documents that mention or reference posts on
X, particularly regarding patient safety, consultation delays, or MAPs”, I
carried out a search for records containing the exact phrase ‘X’ and
‘Physician Associates’ or ‘Anaesthesia Associates’ which returned 36,000
results. I would have to manually check each record to ensure that it fits
within the scope of your request. It would take around one minute to
review each record and any corresponding documents. Based on an hourly
rate of £25 per hour (which is set by the Freedom of Information (Fees and
Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004) this would cost us significantly in
excess of the ‘appropriate limit’ to process.

It is therefore overall clear that s.12 FOIA applies when considering your
requests collectively in accordance with the amalgamation rules set out
above.

Advice and assistance

Again, by focusing solely on your request dated 1 October 2024, you could
resubmit your questions with the exclusion of your final query and we will
consider this as a new request.

However, I should add that the s.12 exemption under the FOIA (or another
exemption) may still be applicable to any requests you raise in the
future.

Your right to appeal

If you would like to appeal this decision please set out your reasons in
writing to [2][GMC request email]. Please note that we will only usually
consider appeals received within 40 working days of our response. You can
also appeal to the [3]Information Commissioner, the regulator of the FOIA
and DPA.

Kind regards

Henna Janghir

Information Access Officer

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

Email: [4][email address]

Tel: 0161 923 6710

Website: [5]www.gmc-uk.org

From: FOI
Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 4:02 PM
To: Seymour Borealis <[FOI #1181909 email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Internal Messaging
Services/Apps - MAP related communications

Dear Seymour Borealis,

Your information request - IR1-4614472385

Thank you for your email dated 2 October in which you amend the request.

How we will consider your request

We’re going to consider your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond, but we’ll come
back to you as soon as we can.

Yours sincerely

Information Access Team

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

From: Seymour Borealis <[6][FOI #1181909 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 8:54 AM
To: FOI <[7][email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Internal Messaging Services/Apps
- MAP related communications

Dear Sir/Madam, Re: Freedom of Information Request I am writing to request
information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Specifically, I
seek the following details: [1] Total Number Of Enquiries Received Please
provide the total number

Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Freedom of Information Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Specifically, I seek the following details:

[1] Total Number Of Enquiries Received

Please provide the total number of telephone and live chat enquiries received by the General Medical Council in each calendar month since September 2023.

[2] Enquiries Related to Medical Associate Professionals (MAPs)

For each of the same calendar months, could you also provide the number of telephone and live chat enquiries which related to concerns regarding Medical Associate Professionals (MAPs), including Physician Associates (PAs), Anaesthesia Associates (AAs), and Surgical Care Practitioners (SCPs)?

[3] Summary Of Enquiries/Concerns

If feasible, I would appreciate a brief summary (or category) of the nature of the concerns/enquiries raised in each of the calls/chats which related to MAPs (identified in [2]), again organised by month.

Please ensure that any personal data or sensitive information is redacted in accordance with data protection legislation. Should you be unable to provide some of the requested information, I kindly ask that you supply as much as possible and offer an explanation for any withheld data, citing the relevant exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.

I look forward to receiving your response within the statutory 20 working days. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Seymour Borealis

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[8][FOI #1181909 email]

Is [9][GMC request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to General Medical Council? If so, please contact us using this form:

[10]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[11]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:

[12]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....

[13]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

show quoted sections