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PSED related documents relating to COVID policy

Sophie Gamwell made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Health and Social Care

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Sophie Gamwell
Delivered

Dear Department of Health and Social Care,

I am interested in receiving Equality Impact Assessments and other documents that relate to the Public Sector Equality Duty focused on government policies around the ongoing COVID pandemic.

In particular please will you send me any Equality Impact Assessments or other analysis undertaken to explore the impact of measures and changes in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty respect of:
1) Implementing guidance on visits to care homes in the UK
2) Revocation of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions)
(England) (No. 3) Regulations 2020
3) Early termination of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions)
(Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020
4) Recent changes to the Coronavirus testing regime
5) The NHS Covid19 App, Contact Testing and Contact Tracing

Many thanks,

Sophie Gamwell

Link to this Report
Department of Health and Social Care

This is an acknowledgement - please do not reply to this email.

Thank you for contacting the Department of Health and Social Care. 

We are currently experiencing very high volumes of enquiries and we are
focusing our resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

If your enquiry is in relation to the pandemic, the Government has
launched a COVID-19 ‘hub’, which can be found
at [1]www.gov.uk/coronavirus and is regularly updated. 

The answers to many other questions can be found on [2]GOV.UK,
the [3]Department of Health and Social Care website or by visiting
the [4]NHS website. We may not respond to you if the answer to your
enquiry can be found on either of these websites. Where a reply is
appropriate, we aim to send a response within 20 working days.
 
Please note that the department cannot arrange vaccinations. [5]This
webpage gives information on vaccination. You can also contact your GP,
clinical commissioning group or call 119.

 

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 you must get tested as soon as possible.
The swab test takes less than a minute and is pain-free. Results from test
sites are generally received within 24 hours of the test being
administered. Further information, including what symptoms to look out
for, can be found [6]here.
 
If your business is interested in helping the Government increase
COVID-19 testing capacity, please visit [7]this webpage. Please note that
the service that was set up for businesses to offer other COVID-19 support
has closed. If you have a product to sell to the NHS, please visit
[8]https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/.   
  
Since 15 February 2021, anyone travelling to the UK from a red-list
country has been required to quarantine in a managed quarantine facility
for a period of ten days. There will be periods where no countries are
listed, but the red list remains ready to be stood up should the global
epidemiological situation change. In these circumstances, there is
guidance available on a range of queries.

To find out how to apply for a medical or compassionate exemption, please
visit
[9]www.gov.uk/guidance/exemptions-from-managed-quarantine-for-compassionate-reasons.

If you have been in quarantine and have a complaint about the hotel,
please raise your concerns with the hotel itself in the first instance. If
your complaint is unresolved, please email the complaints team at
[10][email address].
 
If you are writing in connection with an NHS or social care service please
note that the department does not manage health and social services
directly, nor does it process complaints. It also cannot give clinical
advice or intervene in matters concerning patient care or social services.
If you wish to make a complaint about a healthcare professional, an NHS
organisation or a social care provider, please visit [11]this link.

 
If you would like to raise your concerns about a COVID-19 testing
provider, or have any other NHS Test and Trace enquiries, you can
contact [12]NHS Test and Trace enquiries, feedback and complaints. 

Our [13]Personal information charter and [14]privacy notice explain how we
treat your personal information.

 

This e-mail and any attachments is intended only for the attention of the
addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not
permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all
copies and inform the sender by return e-mail. Any views expressed in this
message are not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Social
Care. Please note: Incoming and outgoing email messages are routinely
monitored for compliance with our policy on the use of electronic
communications.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
2. https://www.gov.uk/
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
4. https://www.nhs.uk/
5. https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlo...
6. https://www.gov.uk/getting-tested-for-co...
7. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-the-gov...
8. https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/
9. https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlo...
10. mailto:[email address]
11. https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-t...
12. https://enquiries.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/...
13. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
14. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Link to this Report
Department of Health and Social Care

Dear Ms Gamwell,

Thank you for your request of 8 April under the Freedom of Information Act
(our ref:FOI-1401543)

We are writing to inform you that the Department's consideration of the
balance of the public interest with regards to your request is not yet
complete and requires further time to complete in line with Section 10(3)
of the FOI Act.

The Department is currently assessing the public interest in release under
Section 35 (formulation of government policy).

We anticipate this process will take no longer than a further 20 working
days to complete.  We therefore aim to respond fully to your request by 10
June.
 
Please accept our apologies for this delay.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
 

show quoted sections

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Doug Paulley left an annotation ()

Speedy!

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Sophie Gamwell
Delivered

Dear Department of Health and Social Care,

The additional 20 days to consider the public interest in publishing the information I requested has now expired. Please respond to my request within the next 7 days or I will refer the matter to the Information Commissioner.

Yours faithfully,

Sophie Gamwell

Link to this Report
Department of Health and Social Care

1 Attachment

Dear Sophie Gamwell,

Please find attached the Department of Health and Social Care's response
to your FOI request (our ref: FOI-1401543).

Yours sincerely, 

Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care

show quoted sections

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Sophie Gamwell
Delivered

Dear Department of Health and Social Care,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews, as your last correspondence did not contain the contact details. I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Health and Social Care's handling of my FOI request 'PSED related documents relating to COVID policy'; FOI-1401543.

My request was refused, and your letter stated you considered that this information is exempt under Section 35(1)(a) of the FOIA, which provides protection for the information that relates to the formulation or development of Government policy. Section 35 is a qualified exemption and requires consideration of
the public interest test. It is my position that the information was about the implementation rather than formulation of government policy, as it would not require ministerial or governmental sign off.

As you may be aware, ICO guidance states that a section 35(1)(a) exemption can only be applied to the formulation or development of government policy. It goes on to say that only Ministers have the final say on government policy, and "any decisions or adjustments made by someone else must therefore be implementation or management decisions, rather than policy development".
As the information I requested does not refer to a ministerial decision, I am requesting an internal review.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Yours faithfully,

Sophie Gamwell

Link to this Report
Department of Health and Social Care

This is an acknowledgement - please do not reply to this email.

Thank you for contacting the Department of Health and Social Care. 

If your enquiry is in relation to the pandemic, the Government has
launched a COVID-19 ‘hub’, which can be found
at [1]www.gov.uk/coronavirus and is regularly updated. 

The answers to many other questions can be found on [2]GOV.UK,
the [3]Department of Health and Social Care website or by visiting
the [4]NHS website. We may not respond to you if the answer to your
enquiry can be found on either of these websites. Where a reply is
appropriate, we aim to send a response within 20 working days.
 
Please note that the department cannot arrange vaccinations. [5]This
webpage gives information on vaccination. You can also contact your GP,
clinical commissioning group or call 119.

 

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 you must get tested as soon as possible.
The swab test takes less than a minute and is pain-free. Results from test
sites are generally received within 24 hours of the test being
administered. Further information, including what symptoms to look out
for, can be found [6]here.
 
If your business is interested in helping the Government increase
COVID-19 testing capacity, please visit [7]this webpage. Please note that
the service that was set up for businesses to offer other COVID-19 support
has closed. If you have a product to sell to the NHS, please visit
[8]https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/.   
  
Since 15 February 2021, anyone travelling to the UK from a red-list
country has been required to quarantine in a managed quarantine facility
for a period of ten days. There will be periods where no countries are
listed, but the red list remains ready to be stood up should the global
epidemiological situation change. In these circumstances, there is
guidance available on a range of queries.

To find out how to apply for a medical or compassionate exemption, please
visit
[9]www.gov.uk/guidance/exemptions-from-managed-quarantine-for-compassionate-reasons.

If you have been in quarantine and have a complaint about the hotel,
please raise your concerns with the hotel itself in the first instance. If
your complaint is unresolved, please email the complaints team at
[10][email address].
 
If you are writing in connection with an NHS or social care service please
note that the department does not manage health and social services
directly, nor does it process complaints. It also cannot give clinical
advice or intervene in matters concerning patient care or social services.
If you wish to make a complaint about a healthcare professional, an NHS
organisation or a social care provider, please visit [11]this link.

 
If you would like to raise your concerns about a COVID-19 testing
provider, or have any other NHS Test and Trace enquiries, you can
contact [12]NHS Test and Trace enquiries, feedback and complaints. 

Our [13]Personal information charter and [14]privacy notice explain how we
treat your personal information.

 

This e-mail and any attachments is intended only for the attention of the
addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not
permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all
copies and inform the sender by return e-mail. Any views expressed in this
message are not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Social
Care. Please note: Incoming and outgoing email messages are routinely
monitored for compliance with our policy on the use of electronic
communications.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
2. https://www.gov.uk/
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
4. https://www.nhs.uk/
5. https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlo...
6. https://www.gov.uk/getting-tested-for-co...
7. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-the-gov...
8. https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/
9. https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlo...
10. mailto:[email address]
11. https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-t...
12. https://enquiries.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/...
13. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
14. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Link to this Report
Department of Health and Social Care

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Gamwell,

Your requested internal review of FOI-1401543 is now complete. Please see
the attached letter for the outcome.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Internal Reviews
Department of Health and Social Care

show quoted sections

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We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are Sophie Gamwell please sign in and let everyone know.