RRV response times and deployment post rota changes

The request was partially successful.

Dear East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust,

Please can you provide a detailed list/number of occasions where an RRV or rapid response vehicle has been sent on standby to an ambulance station where there is no-longer a permanent RRV deployment/presence from January - August 2020.

Please can you provide a breakdown for the amount of time spent on standby, where an RRV or rapid response vehicle has been sent on standby to an ambulance station where there is no-longer a permanent RRV deployment/presence from January - August 2020.

Please can you provide a list of ambulance stations/response points that previously had a daily RRV line/presence and, since the change of rotas on the advice of working time solutions, no longer do.

Please can you provide a figure for C1 mean response time in the specific postcodes adjacent ambulance stations that have had their RRV response removed with a comparison to the period before rota changes, (Jan-August 2018 vs Jan-August 2020)

Please can you provide a cost breakdown of the previous and ongoing financial impact of the contract you have with working time solutions for use of rostering software and consultancy.

Please can you provide a gross estimate of the cost of the building better rotas project

Yours faithfully,

James Keightley

FOI, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

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D Perrin left an annotation ()

Dear John / James

I work at a station that used to have 1 x RRV working out of it prior to the BBR project, which was supposed to significantly reduce the number of RRVs the Trust operated and as recommended in their expensive ORH report.
For many months, we have often been putting out 5 x RRVs a day from my station, with staff sometimes being taken off DSAs to do this. This has had completely the opposite effect of the ORH report and BBR project's aims.
Response times have improved dramatically in this and other ambulance Trusts as call volumes declined significantly once the very peak of the pandemic was over.
I have raised my concerns about how RRVs are still being used to "stop the clock" but only for Cat 1 calls, with the Chair of the Trust. The Trust in my area continue to use far more RRVs than they did before the rota changes came in. It would be interesting to note whether those areas of the Trust (North Norfolk) who had the worst response times in the country have also had their RRV cover increased significantly.

FOI, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

1 Attachment

Dear John

 

Further to your email dated 30th August 2020, please find the Trust's
response below.  Your request has been allocated the following reference:
28679, please could you quote this reference in any future correspondence
with the Trust.

 

 1. Please can you provide a detailed list/number of occasions where an
RRV or rapid response vehicle has been sent on standby to an ambulance
station where there is no-longer a permanent RRV deployment/presence
from January - August 2020.
 2. Please can you provide a breakdown for the amount of time spent on
standby, where an RRV or rapid response vehicle has been sent on
standby to an ambulance station where there is no-longer a permanent
RRV deployment/presence from January - August 2020.

For the ambulance stations list in the table provided for question 4:

The number of times RRVs have been sent to on standby (and so has the
status of 'At Post' or 'At Station' in CAD) to one of these stations in
Jan-August 2020

The duration that RRVs have been set as on standby (and so has the status
of 'At Post' or 'At Station' in CAD) to one of these stations in
Jan-August 2020

 

RRV On Standby Jan-Aug 2020
Occurrences Total Duration
21703 23076:12:40

 

 

 3. Please can you provide a list of ambulance stations/response points
that previously had a daily RRV line/presence and, since the change of
rotas on the advice of working time solutions, no longer do.

Please note that working time solutions played no part in determining
which stations retained an RRV they merely worked with the Trust on rota
design the determining position was as a result of the ISR which was
jointly worked on with the Trust and commissioners, supported by ORH.

 

The list below identifies the Trust Sites that housed an RRV pre ISR/BBR
that were identified to not have an RRV post change. As part of COVID the
Trust retained or added RRVs to support patient care during this time.

 

 

Ampthill                       Dereham                    
Haverhill                      North Walsham           Sudbury

Beccles                        Diss                              Hemel
Hempstead               Potter Heigham           Swaffham

Biggleswade                Downham Market      
Hoddeston                          Potters Bar                  Thetford

Braintree                      Ely                               
Hunstanton                       Rickmansworth           Tring

Buntingford                 Fakenham                    Kings
Lyn                           Saffron Walden           Weeley

Burnham                     Felixstowe                   Leighton
Buzzard                 Sandy                          Wisbech

Bury                             Frinton                         Maldon
                               Saxmundham

Bushy                           Garston                      
March                          St Albans

Canvey                        Greenstead                 
Mildenhall                   St Neots

Cromer                        Hatfield                       
Newmarket                         Stowmarket

 

 

 4. Please can you provide a figure for C1 mean response time in the
specific postcodes adjacent ambulance stations that have had their RRV
response removed with a comparison to the period before rota changes,
(Jan-August 2018 vs Jan-August 2020)

The C1 Mean Response Time and count of C1 Incidents for Jan-August 2018
and Jan-August 2020 for the Parliamentary Ward that the given ambulance
station is located in. The difference in response times between the 2
periods is also provided.

 

Jan-Aug 2018 Jan-Aug 2020
Difference
in times
Parliamentary C1 Mean C1 C1 Mean C1 between
Station Name Ward Response Incidents Response Incidents 2018
Time Time period and
2020
period
Ampthill AS Ampthill 00:08:27 96 00:07:52 80 - 00:00:35
Beccles AS Worlingham 00:09:41 77 00:08:07 77 - 00:01:34
Biggleswade Biggleswade North 00:07:11 81 00:05:20 72 - 00:01:51
AS
Braintree AS Bocking South 00:07:19 42 00:07:18 38 - 00:00:01
Buntingford Buntingford 00:15:57 37 00:11:06 37 - 00:04:51
Burnham AS Burnham-on-Crouch 00:07:11 61 00:12:34 82 + 00:05:23
South
Bury AS Westgate 00:05:40 571 00:05:23 481 - 00:00:17
Bushey Central 00:06:38 45 00:05:13 49 - 00:01:25
Canvey AS Canvey Island 00:06:33 75 00:06:53 57 + 00:00:20
Central
Cromer AS Cromer Town 00:10:52 44 00:05:25 47 - 00:05:27
Dereham AS Dereham Withburga 00:11:42 69 00:07:36 66 - 00:04:06
Diss AS Diss 00:12:36 81 00:08:37 92 - 00:03:59
Downham South Downham 00:12:54 53 00:09:10 70 - 00:03:44
Market AS
Ely AS Ely North 00:09:09 99 00:07:20 79 - 00:01:49
Fakenham AS Lancaster South 00:13:25 32 00:10:09 32 - 00:03:16
Felixstowe AS Felixstowe South 00:11:01 119 00:07:32 108 - 00:03:29
Frinton AS Frinton 00:08:36 80 00:09:52 65 + 00:01:16
Garston Fire Woodside 00:07:54 126 00:07:05 125 - 00:00:49
Station
Greenstead AS Wivenhoe 00:08:30 85 00:07:59 73 - 00:00:31
Hatfield Hatfield Central 00:06:23 74 00:05:20 55 - 00:01:03
Police
Haverhill AS Haverhill North 00:09:09 55 00:07:40 59 - 00:01:29
Hemel Hemel Hempstead 00:06:54 116 00:05:27 126 - 00:01:27
Hempstead AS Town
Hoddesdon Hoddesdon Town 00:07:24 40 00:08:31 61 + 00:01:07
and Rye Park
Hunstanton AS Hunstanton 00:11:17 55 00:08:18 85 - 00:02:59
Kings Lynn AS Springwood 00:03:47 93 00:04:35 73 + 00:00:48
Leighton Leighton Buzzard 00:07:39 194 00:06:24 152 - 00:01:15
Buzzard AS North
Maldon AS Maldon North 00:07:05 42 00:07:33 39 + 00:00:28
March AS March North 00:10:17 22 00:07:58 22 - 00:02:19
Mildenhall AS Market 00:06:44 77 00:05:55 87 - 00:00:49
Newmarket AS Severals 00:11:03 62 00:09:02 69 - 00:02:01
North Walsham North Walsham 00:12:41 53 00:05:44 78 - 00:06:57
AS West
Potter Waterside 00:11:28 98 00:11:26 75 - 00:00:02
Heigham AS
Potters Bar Potters Bar 00:08:19 55 00:08:23 52 + 00:00:04
AS Parkfield
Rickmansworth Rickmansworth 00:09:32 61 00:07:48 68 - 00:01:44
AS Town
Saffron Saffron Walden 00:05:23 32 00:13:04 34 + 00:07:41
Walden AS Shire
Sandy Fire Sandy 00:08:29 13 00:08:12 10 - 00:00:17
Station
Saxmundham AS Saxmundham 00:10:37 82 00:09:37 65 - 00:01:00
St Albans AS Cunningham 00:08:53 67 00:06:56 82 - 00:01:57
St Neots AS St Neots Priory 00:11:18 115 00:06:49 109 - 00:04:29
Park
Stowmarket AS Onehouse 00:11:13 80 00:10:09 86 - 00:01:04
Sudbury AS Sudbury South 00:09:54 27 00:08:25 29 - 00:01:29
Swaffham AS Swaffham 00:08:57 37 00:08:02 50 - 00:00:55
Thetford AS Thetford Priory 00:09:10 167 00:09:15 152 + 00:00:05
Tring AS Tring Central 00:12:31 41 00:10:44 49 - 00:01:47
Weeley AS Little Clacton 00:08:06 59 00:05:53 54 - 00:02:13
and Weeley
Wisbech AS Clarkson 00:07:26 32 00:05:55 27 - 00:01:31

 

 

 5. Please can you provide a cost breakdown of the previous and ongoing
financial impact of the contract you have with working time solutions
for use of rostering software and consultancy.

We do not have an ongoing contract with them other than annual s/ware
licence costs. 

The Trust has carefully considered your request for the cost information
and has determined that this information is commercially confidential.
Therefore we will be applying exemption s.43(2) of the Freedom of
Information Act to your request.

 

Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act provides an exemption from
disclosure of information which would or would be likely to prejudice the
commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding
it.)

 

The term 'commercial interests' is not defined in the Freedom of
Information Act, however, the ICO's awareness guidance on the application
of section 43 states:

 

"...a commercial interest relates to a person's ability to participate
competitively in a commercial activity, i.e. the purchase and sale of
goods or services."

 

The Trust feels that as this request relates to the contractual
arrangement with a third party that this falls within the scope of the
exemption. In addition, disclosure of the information would be likely to
prejudice the third party’s commercial interests.

 

The Trust believes that in releasing the information requested it is
likely that prejudice would likely be caused to the third party as the
releasing this information could enable competitors to potentially
successfully outbid the third parties in relation to similar contracts.

 

As section 43(2) is a qualified exemption, the Trust has gone on to
consider the public interest in this case.

 

The Trust accepts that there is a public interest in determining how
public money is spent and that correct processes are followed. However,
the Trust feels that third parties should be able to engage in contracts
and work without the risk of financial/contract details becoming publicly
available. This would undoubtedly affect the interests of the third
parties and their ability to compete fairly in the future.

 

Therefore on balance the Trust considers that the public interest in
favour of disclosure is outweighed by the public interest in favour of
maintaining the exemption.

 

 

 6. Please can you provide a gross estimate of the cost of the building
better rotas project

The Building Better Rotas project was a project run in the Trust alongside
many other pieces of work, we always have a variety of projects in train
at any one time.  It did not have a separate budget and did not have
dedicated resource, but rather Management, HR, PMO resources allocated
when required.  We will not have kept records of how many hours
individuals spent on that piece of work amongst all the other work they
will have done during the timespan of the project, as a result we are
unable to provide this information.

 

I am obliged to advise you that if you are dissatisfied with the Trust’s
response to your request you have a right to complain to the Trust and
should set out your concerns to the Freedom of Information Officer, EEAST,
Hospital Approach, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 7WS or by email to
[East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust request email]. If you remain dissatisfied following this, you have a
right under Section 50 of the FOIA to seek a determination from the
Information Commissioner on whether the Act has been properly applied by
the Trust. For more information, please see [1]www.ico.gov.uk/

 

Under the Accessible Information Standard the Trust is required to ask our
FoI applicants equality and diversity questions. You are under no
obligation; however we would be grateful if you could complete the form
attached and email this back to us.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further
information.

 

Kind regards

 

 

FoI Officer

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

 

Please note our new email address: [2][East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust request email]

 

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