Provision of augmentative and alternative communication devices

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust (PCT) should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust (PCT),

I am an academic researcher, attempting to assess the provision of augmentative and alternative communication devices by the NHS. Would you please send me details of augmentative and alternative communication devices supplied/purchased by your trust between 31st March 2006 and 1st April 2011. I would like the information broken down by both product name (So for example Dynavox Xpress, iPod touch with TapToTalk, BigMack) and by year. I would like information for both children and adults, but I don't require a breakdown by age.

I attempting to find out how many people who have poor or no speech have a speech aid, in particular electronic speech aids, and I would like to know how many have been supplied by the trust during the last five years.

Deven PCT have helpfully give examples on a previous request. The format they used was

2005/06
4 X Digital Electronic Larynxes (Servox)
2 x Listen To Me
2 x Lightwriters
1 x Dynawrite
1 x Dynamo
1 x Falck Voice Amplifier
1 x Lions Speech Aid
1 x Go Talk
1 x Little Mack

2006/07
9 x Digital Electronic Larynxes (Servox)
2 x Lightwriters
1 x mini Printer
2 x The Grid software
2 x Falck Voice Amplifiers
1 x Listen To Me
1 x Textphone
1 x Talking Symbols Notepad

and this would do nicely for me. Other excellent formats were provided by:
Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...)
Bromley PCT (http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...)
Bristol PCT ( http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...)
and Central Lancashire PCT
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/au...)

Just to make the process more efficient for you guys - it would be great to clarify a couple of things at this stage - I am aware that some trusts make use of commissioning trusts to do the actual purchase of the devices; when I have contacted the commissioning trusts I've been often redirected back to the PCT because the paperwork for previous years have been stored at the PCT - this redirection must be causing additional work for both trusts in the long run and it would be great to avoid it
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/au...
is an example of the problem)

Also, and again to make life easier for you, I should point about that since this request is being made via whatdotheyknow.com - email addresses are stripped out of replies to protect your privacy (because the responses are all available to public view- if you are to redirect my request to another body then it's ideal to just give the name of the body rather than just an email address

Yours faithfully,

Dr Joseph Reddington

foi (EAST SUSSEX DOWNS AND WEALD PCT), East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust (PCT)

Dear Dr Reddington

I am writing to inform you that the information you requested is not held
by NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald and NHS Hastings and Rother. However it
is possible that East Sussex Community Health Services, now part of an
integrated East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust may hold some or all of the
information you require.

They can be contacted via their website at:

[1]www.esh.nhs.uk/about-us/foi/

or by writing to:

Freedom Of Information Lead
729 The Ridge,
St Leonards-on-Sea,
East Sussex,
TN37 7PT,
or by telephoning 01424 755255.

Kind Regards

Ami
Freedom of Information Officer
________________________________________
From: Joe [[FOI #92907 email]]
Sent: 11 November 2011 16:18
To: foi (EAST SUSSEX DOWNS AND WEALD PCT)
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Provision of augmentative and
alternative communication devices

     Dear East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust (PCT),

     I am an academic researcher, attempting to assess the provision of
     augmentative and alternative communication devices by the NHS.
     Would you please send me details of augmentative and alternative
     communication devices supplied/purchased by your trust between 31st
     March 2006 and 1st April 2011. I would like the information broken
     down by both product name (So for example Dynavox Xpress, iPod
     touch with TapToTalk, BigMack) and by year. I would like
     information for both children and adults, but I don't require a
     breakdown by age.

     I attempting to find out how many people who have poor or no speech
     have a speech aid, in particular electronic speech aids, and I
     would like to know how many have been supplied by the trust during
     the last five years.

     Deven PCT have helpfully give examples on a previous request. The
     format they used was

     2005/06
     4 X Digital Electronic Larynxes (Servox)
     2 x Listen To Me
     2 x Lightwriters
     1 x Dynawrite
     1 x Dynamo
     1 x Falck Voice Amplifier
     1 x Lions Speech Aid
     1 x Go Talk
     1 x Little Mack

     2006/07
     9 x Digital Electronic Larynxes (Servox)
     2 x Lightwriters
     1 x mini Printer
     2 x The Grid software
     2 x Falck Voice Amplifiers
     1 x Listen To Me
     1 x Textphone
     1 x Talking Symbols Notepad

     and this would do nicely for me. Other excellent formats were
     provided by:
     Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT
    
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...)
     Bromley PCT
    
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...)
     Bristol PCT (
    
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...)
     and Central Lancashire PCT
    
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/au...)

     Just to make the process more efficient for you guys - it would be
     great to clarify a couple of things at this stage - I am aware that
     some trusts make use of commissioning trusts to do the actual
     purchase of the devices; when I have contacted the commissioning
     trusts I've been often redirected back to the PCT because the
     paperwork for previous years have been stored at the PCT - this
     redirection must be causing additional work for both trusts in the
     long run and it would be great to avoid it
    
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/au...
     is an example of the problem)

     Also, and again to make life easier for you, I should point about
     that since this request is being made via whatdotheyknow.com -
     email addresses are stripped out of replies to protect your privacy
     (because the responses are all available to public view- if you are
     to redirect my request to another body then it's ideal to just give
     the name of the body rather than just an email address

     Yours faithfully,

     Dr Joseph Reddington

    

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Dear foi (EAST SUSSEX DOWNS AND WEALD PCT),

Thank you very much :)

Just to follow this up - my understanding from what you have sent
is that 'East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust' are the body that is
commissioned by the PCT to provide AAC devices within the catchment
area of the PCT. Could you confirm this? and also that there is no
other NHS body that provides this service within your catchment
area?

Yours sincerely,

Joe

foi (EAST SUSSEX DOWNS AND WEALD PCT), East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust (PCT)

Dear Joe,

Thank you for your email.

I can confirm that as from 01st April 2011 Community Services became part of an intergrated East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, and are therefore responsable for the provision of all Community Services.

There are no other organisations within the East Sussex and Hastings and Rother areas that would provide this service.

I hope that the above information clarifys the situation for you.

Kind Regards

Ami
Freedom of Information Officer
________________________________________
From: Joe [[FOI #92907 email]]
Sent: 23 November 2011 22:15
To: foi (EAST SUSSEX DOWNS AND WEALD PCT)
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Provision of augmentative and alternative communication devices

Dear foi (EAST SUSSEX DOWNS AND WEALD PCT),

Thank you very much :)

Just to follow this up - my understanding from what you have sent
is that 'East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust' are the body that is
commissioned by the PCT to provide AAC devices within the catchment
area of the PCT. Could you confirm this? and also that there is no
other NHS body that provides this service within your catchment
area?

Yours sincerely,

Joe

show quoted sections