Remdesivir- how much did UK have?
Dear Department of Health and Social Care,
Around 1st July, it was reported in national media, following Trump's scandalous appropriation of world stocks of Remdesivir, that the Department of Health had secured supplies of the same drug in sufficient quantity to treat every NHS patient who may need it.
What information do you hold on stock levels of Remdesivit held in UK and readily available (without additional time-consuming quality checks etc), for use by patients about that time.
Please provide numbers of doses and number of patients that could be treated (if more than one dose per patient needed) that provided the basis for the statement by Dept of Health.
Please also advise how long the UK expected it could continue to provide the drug before further supplies became available.
Thank You
Yours faithfully,
Tim Todd
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 high volumes of enquiries and we are
focusing our resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response.
The answers to many questions, including the latest information on
COVID-19, can be found on [1]GOV.UK, the [2]Department of Health and
Social Care website or by visiting the [3]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
18 working days, or 20 working days if your query is a Freedom of
Information request or complaint.
If you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, please
visit [4]111.nhs.uk or telephone your GP surgery immediately for further
advice. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital directly.
If your organisation can offer support to help with the response to
coronavirus, including the supply of personal protective equipment, the
Government has set up an [5]online hub to compile and respond to all
offers.
If you are clinician looking to support the NHS, please visit the [6]NHS
Professionals website for further information.
If you are a clinician who has retired within the last 6 years and would
like more information on how to apply for the temporary register, please
visit the [7]NHS England website for further information.
If you are a student looking to join the NHS, please visit the HEE website
for detailed guidance for [8]nurses and [9]doctors respectively.
If you are seeking to offer your time to/volunteer for the NHS, please
visit [10]this website for more information.
The Department of Health and Social Care does not process complaints about
the NHS or social services. If you wish to make a complaint about a
healthcare professional, an NHS organisation or a social care provider,
please visit the [11]Complaints Procedure page on GOV.UK.
You can find out more about the Department’s commitments from our Personal
Information
Charterhttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisati....
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/
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
3. https://www.nhs.uk/
4. https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/
5. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-support-f...
6. https://www.nhsprofessionals.nhs.uk/
7. http://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/re...
8. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events...
9. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events...
10. https://www.goodsamapp.org/nhs/
11. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
Dear Mr Todd,
Please find attached the Department of Health and Social Care's response
to your recent FOI request (our ref: FOI-1241680)
Yours sincerely,
Nicole Mercer
Freedom of Information team
Department of Health and Social Care
Dear Department of Health and Social Care,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Health and Social Care's handling of my FOI request 'Remdesivir- how much did UK have?.
Thank you for your reply of 11th August in which I note that you confirm that you do have the information requested and which you give one reason only for claiming S 43 exemption, namely commercial sensitivity.
I formally request a review of your decision to apply that exemption.
My request provided an opportunity for a government department to provide proof that a claim which was, and remains, of great interest to the general public, was a valid and justifiable claim for it to have made. Public interest was driven by Trump hoovering up all the world's available Remdesivir and telling the rest of the world to get stuffed- of course it is of great public interest.
The availability, or otherwise, of any and all drugs and medical equipment in this time of Covid crisis, is of the greatest interest to the entire community . We have seen for example, the considerable interest around the availability of other Covid fighting material such as PPE, and ventilators have we not? We have I'm afraid, also seen how we have been misled by government in some of these matters on occasions (availability of world beating test and trace?). I would contend, such omissions, errors, perhaps even lies, may even have led to the unnecessary loss of additional lives. Certainly without accurate information we do not know whether an issue needs to be addressed or whether we can feel confident as to its accuracy
You provide no explanation or basis for disregarding the public interest, nor the slightest justification for the claim of commercial sensitivity having preference. I have not sought information about the finances of the drug, an element that in any case might fall into the public realm during normal subsequent accounting procedures. If you choose not to drop the exemption I shall have no alternative but to seek the opinion of the Information Commissioner as to whether it was a justified dismissal of public interest. There's a but though - I cannot imagine the public interest bar ever having been set so high as it has for Covid matters!
As for commercial sensitivity I would suggest that any half decent pharma would be able to have a reasonably accurate guess of the stocks of Remdesvir required in order to justify a claim that the country holds sufficient stock. Using commercial sensitivity as an exemption basis is I suggest, an improper use of said exemption. Certainly you have failed to provide any grounds to suspect it might take precedence over public interest which is especially high. At the very least you should have provided some justification- if you could find it.
That millions of people came out on many Thursday nights is evidence of public interest in Covid matters is it not? The many column inches written about £150 million spent on useless PPE from Ayanda is proof of public interest in Covid matters, and government competence, is it not? And frankly, the list of areas of public interest, in both the disease and the way it is being handled by governments and various parties, must be one of the greatest ever areas of public interest globally.
My request provided an opportunity for the DHSC to demonstrate that it could be trusted with the provision of important and accurate information, that we can feel safe with their assurances. Numbers count. A hospital I know has a cardiac waiting list that exceeds government numbers, that's worrying in itself but when you discover it is around 9,000 then that is reason to be very worried, and it becomes a reason to raise questions, awkward questions that may not be welcomed perhaps. The DHSC has a public duty to justify its claims with accurate data, it is not there to promote party political statements as seems may be the case here.
The approach of our leaving the EC also has a bearing on this matter. We are getting mixed messages on the likely availability of various medicines and I do believe I saw a government message to the effect that shortages may be experienced in the coming months. I do know that already problems exist -and that is why I mention time-consuming quality checks in my original request- some of my drugs have been unavailable anywhere in the country as they were sat at borders awaiting EC quality clearance. As someone who takes a number of prescribed medicines to keep myself alive this is very worrying. Should I stock up, talk to members of patient groups risking panic, can I trust any of your assurances? I and others need to be able to have confidence in certain areas of government statements. Frankly, hiding behind a S 43 exemption leads me to be more concerned than before.
If you decline to provide the information about Remdesvir that I have sought, I will not be able to have trust in any of your pronouncements, nor will the general public I imagine. Please demonstrate that you did not mislead us, provide the information requested,and, as it should be to hand, I ask that you provide it in a timely manner commensurate with the Act.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/r...
Yours faithfully,
Tim Todd
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 high volumes of enquiries and we are
focusing our resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response.
The answers to many questions, including the latest information on
COVID-19, can be found on [1]GOV.UK, the [2]Department of Health and
Social Care website or by visiting the [3]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
18 working days, or 20 working days if your query is a Freedom of
Information request or complaint.
If you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, please
visit [4]111.nhs.uk or telephone your GP surgery immediately for further
advice. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital directly.
If your organisation can offer support to help with the response to
coronavirus, including the supply of personal protective equipment, the
Government has set up an [5]online hub to compile and respond to all
offers.
If you are clinician looking to support the NHS, please visit the [6]NHS
Professionals website for further information.
If you are a clinician who has retired within the last 6 years and would
like more information on how to apply for the temporary register, please
visit the [7]NHS England website for further information.
If you are a student looking to join the NHS, please visit the HEE website
for detailed guidance for [8]nurses and [9]doctors respectively.
If you are seeking to offer your time to/volunteer for the NHS, please
visit [10]this website for more information.
The Department of Health and Social Care does not process complaints about
the NHS or social services. If you wish to make a complaint about a
healthcare professional, an NHS organisation or a social care provider,
please visit the [11]Complaints Procedure page on GOV.UK.
You can find out more about the Department’s commitments from our Personal
Information
Charterhttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisati....
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/
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
3. https://www.nhs.uk/
4. https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/
5. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-support-f...
6. https://www.nhsprofessionals.nhs.uk/
7. http://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/re...
8. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events...
9. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events...
10. https://www.goodsamapp.org/nhs/
11. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
Dear Mr Todd,
Thank you for your email of 12 August asking for an internal review of your Freedom of Information request.
We are unable to process your internal review request without a case reference number. So that we can process your request, please provide us with your case reference number.
Yours sincerely,
FOI Team
Dear Mr Todd,
Thank you for your email requesting an internal review of the Department's response to your Freedom of Information request.
We are unable to process your internal review request without a case reference number. So that we can process your request, please provide us with the reference number?.
Yours sincerely,
Le-Anne Frankson
Freedom of Information Officer
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0EU
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 high volumes of enquiries and we are
focusing our resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response.
The answers to many questions, including the latest information on
COVID-19, can be found on [1]GOV.UK, the [2]Department of Health and
Social Care website or by visiting the [3]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
18 working days, or 20 working days if your query is a Freedom of
Information request or complaint.
If you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, please
visit [4]111.nhs.uk or telephone your GP surgery immediately for further
advice. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital directly.
If your organisation can offer support to help with the response to
coronavirus, including the supply of personal protective equipment, the
Government has set up an [5]online hub to compile and respond to all
offers.
If you are clinician looking to support the NHS, please visit the [6]NHS
Professionals website for further information.
If you are a clinician who has retired within the last 6 years and would
like more information on how to apply for the temporary register, please
visit the [7]NHS England website for further information.
If you are a student looking to join the NHS, please visit the HEE website
for detailed guidance for [8]nurses and [9]doctors respectively.
If you are seeking to offer your time to/volunteer for the NHS, please
visit [10]this website for more information.
The Department of Health and Social Care does not process complaints about
the NHS or social services. If you wish to make a complaint about a
healthcare professional, an NHS organisation or a social care provider,
please visit the [11]Complaints Procedure page on GOV.UK.
You can find out more about the Department’s commitments from our Personal
Information
Charterhttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisati....
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/
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
3. https://www.nhs.uk/
4. https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/
5. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-support-f...
6. https://www.nhsprofessionals.nhs.uk/
7. http://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/re...
8. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events...
9. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events...
10. https://www.goodsamapp.org/nhs/
11. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
Dear Mr Todd,
Your requested internal review of FOI-1241680 is now complete. Please see the attached letter for the outcome.
Yours sincerely,
Charlene Carter
Freedom of Information Casework Manager
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0EU
tim todd left an annotation ()
Do not accept this explanation. Whilst watching developments ran out of time to take to ICO
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now
tim todd left an annotation ()
Dept of Health admits getting its numbers wrong https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...