Corporate and Legal Affairs – Corporate and Committee Services

Our Reference: KR/FOI/41049

12 November 2019

Rose Cullingford

[FOI #618943 email]

Dear Ms Cullingford

Request for Information

Thank you for your request for information, as received by University
Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust on 11 November 2019.Within UHL NHS Trust,
Freedom of Information Act requests are managed centrally by the Corporate
and Committee Services Team. 

The Trust will endeavour to provide a response within the required 20
working-day deadline.  I will, of course, keep you informed should this
not prove possible for any reason.  If we require any clarification on
your request, we will contact you as soon as possible. 

All requesters are advised that the Trust may make a charge for providing
the information to them, to cover the cost of photocopying, postage and
packaging etc – I confirm that where these costs are below £5.00 in total,
no charge will be made.  All requesters are also advised that there may
also be a charge payable to cover costs of locating the information they
have requested, as laid down in the Freedom of Information Act Regulations
published by the Government in December 2004.  Naturally, if such a charge
is to be applied to your request, you will be informed as soon as
possible.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Rayns

Corporate and Committee Services Officer

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

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Corporate and Legal Affairs – Corporate and Committee Services

Our Reference: KR/FOI/41049

9 December 2019

Rose Cullingford

[FOI #618943 email]

Dear Ms Cullingford

Request for Information

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request, as received
on 11 November 2019 and acknowledged on 12 November 2019. For information,
the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is one of the largest and
busiest NHS teaching Trusts in the country.  We have over 15,000 staff
working across our three hospitals, the Leicester Royal Infirmary,
Glenfield Hospital and Leicester General Hospital, serving around 1.2
million people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and a further
two to three million people from the rest of the UK who come to us for
treatment from one of our specialist services.  During 2018/19 we treated
1,466,500 patients – that’s 4,017 patients each day.

Following consultation with colleagues from the Clinical Support and
Imaging Clinical Management Group and the LLR Alliance, I confirm that the
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust holds information covered by
your FOI request.   In your Freedom of Information Act request, you asked
for the following information and the Trust’s response is provided
following each section of your request below:-  

X-Ray facility at Hinckley Hospital

1)      When was the (old) X-ray machine purchased and at what cost?
The machine was originally purchased in 1997, with some components being
replaced since then.  The original cost was approximately £90,000.

2)      By industry standards, what was its expected life?
There is no formal industry standard, but the accepted life of this type
of x-ray equipment is 12 years.  Manufacturer’s equipment will now only
give a guarantee of 10 years on spare parts.

3)      Over how many years was it was it depreciated in your accounts?
Usual depreciation is over 10 years.

4)      What was the assumed residual value at the end of the depreciation
period?
There is no re-sale value as this equipment would now be considered
obsolete.

I hope that this response is helpful and provides you with the information
requested (where available). If you require any further assistance please
do not hesitate to contact me.  If you are dissatisfied with the Trust’s
response, you can contact the Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs on
Tel. No. 0116 258 8615 to request a copy of UHL’s Freedom of Information
Act complaints procedure.

We must advise you that where we have provided information we have done so
subject to the provisions of the Re-use of Public Sector Information
Regulations 2005.  Accordingly you must not re-use this information
without having the consent of the Trust.  Where the Trust is prepared to
provide its consent then it may levy a charge for doing so. Should you
wish to re-use documents provided then you must make your request in
writing stating your name and your address for correspondence together
with the document that you wish to re-use and the purpose for which the
information is to be re-used.

In the event that you remain dissatisfied with the way in which the Trust
has handled any complaint that you may wish to make, we would advise you
of your right to complain to the Information Commissioner at the
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

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Kate Rayns

Corporate and Committee Services Officer

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Information contained in e-mails may be subject to disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, and confidentiality cannot therefore be
guaranteed.  Please ensure that all e-mails are accurate and appropriate,
and are retained/deleted in accordance with good practice and any policies
of the Trust.  If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail,
please inform the sender, delete the e-mail from your system and destroy
any copies you may have made.

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Our Reference SM/FOI/41049

Date : 31 December 2019

Dear Madam

INTERNAL REVIEW OF HANDLING OF REQUEST MADE UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (the "Act")

I am sorry that the Applicant has concluded that she has been given the ‘run-around’ as this was never our intention rather our intention was, in good faith, to provide the information that we held and to assist the Applicant. I am also sorry if our original response added to the Applicant’s confusion. I hope that this Review clarifies the position.

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 On 11th November 2019 the Trust received a request under the Act from the Applicant.
1.2 The following information was requested:
As the X-ray machine had become unusable, this facility closed. I asked the following questions of the West Leicestershire CCG & they have referred me to the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust who in turn have referred me to you. It feels like I'm being given the run-around.

1) When was the (old) X-ray machine purchased and at what cost?
2) By industry standards, what was its expected life?
3) Over how many years was it was it depreciated in your accounts?
4) What was the assumed residual value at the end of the depreciation period?

1.3 In its response of 9th December 2019 the Trust responded as follows:-
1) When was the (old) X-ray machine purchased and at what cost?
The machine was originally purchased in 1997, with some components being replaced since then. The original cost was approximately £90,000.

2) By industry standards, what was its expected life?
There is no formal industry standard, but the accepted life of this type of x-ray equipment is 12 years. Manufacturer’s equipment will now only give a guarantee of 10 years on spare parts.

3) Over how many years was it was it depreciated in your accounts?
Usual depreciation is over 10 years.

4) What was the assumed residual value at the end of the depreciation period?
There is no re-sale value as this equipment would now be considered obsolete.

1.4 On 12 December 2019 the Applicant requested an internal review of the handling of their request stating:-
I am writing to request an internal review of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust's handling of my FOI request 'X-Ray facility at Hinckley Hospital'.
Not really an IRR, but I would be grateful if you could answer my final query of the residual "book" vale (SIC) of the machine

2. THE REVIEW

2.1 I have now conducted a review of the handling of your request. In doing so I have followed the internal procedures of the Trust and have had regard to all the relevant facts and circumstances. In particular I have considered:
2.1.1 The Freedom of Information Act 2000;
2.1.2 The request dated 11th November 2019 and the response to that request;
2.1.3 All correspondence and documents including the material which was provided;
2.1.4 Guidance of the Information Commissioner;
2.1.5 Information about other requests made by the Applicant to other local NHS bodies on this matter as appears on the website which generated this request.

3 FINDINGS

3.1 Procedural Findings

3.1.1 The 20 working day statutory timeframe for compliance was complied with.
3.1.2 The Trust's response met the requirements set out in section 17. The response included details of the right to request an internal review and the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner.

3.2 Substantive Findings

3.2.1 Section 1 Duty (Duty to confirm or deny)
3.2.1.1 The Applicant is hereby informed that the X-Ray machine in question has never been the property of this Trust and remains the property of the West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group. To the extent that the Applicant requires details of potential and/or recorded financial value of the X-Ray machine then she should seek this information from the West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.
3.2.1.2 The Applicant now introduces the term ‘book vale’ which I have assumed was intended to be ‘book value’. Whilst introducing this fresh term does not entitle the Applicant to have this aspect dealt with as part of this Review I am able to confirm that the equipment has no book value to UHL and never has done. This is because, as indicated above, it is not and never has been the property of UHL.

4. GENERAL MATTERS

4.1 The Applicant has made a number of requests to other local NHS bodies on related matters. These requests and the responses thereto are, to some extent, in the public domain and published on the website from which this request originated.
4.2 From this website can be seen the response of West Leicestershire CCG dated 6th November 2019. In their response to Q1 it is stated by the said CCG that ‘The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) took over the running of the Community Hospitals X-ray and Ultrasound services in 2017. It assumed responsibility for the staffing and administration of the service, but the equipment remained to property of the CCG’. I have assumed that the said CCG intended to indicate that the X Ray equipment remained the property of the CCG.
4.3 The Applicant now introduces the term ‘book vale’ which I have assumed was intended to be ‘book value’. Whilst introducing a fresh term does not entitle the Applicant to have this aspect dealt with as part of this Review I am able to confirm that the X-Ray equipment has book value to UHL. This is because it is not and never has been the property of UHL.
4.4 I reiterate that I am sorry that the Applicant has concluded that she has been given the ‘run-around’ as this was never our intention.

5. CONCLUSION

I trust that the Applicant considers that she has been provided with sufficient clarity. If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

Steve Murray
Assistant Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs

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Dear Madam

I am sorry for adding to your confusion rather than resolving it. I apologise for the typographical error in my response in 4.3 as the word 'no' was omitted in error from the second sentence of 4.3. For the avoidance of doubt the X Ray machine had no residual book value to UHL 'at the end of its life' or indeed at any point. The position is correctly set out in 3.2.1.1 of my response and I can only suggest that, as owners of the equipment, West Leicestershire CCG may hold information about any assumed (or residual) financial values at any point. This Trust does not hold this information.

You will shortly be receiving a response to your supplementary request made on the 9th December 2019. That response will be in line with this correspondence.

Once again I apologise for the typographical error and I hope that this is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Steve Murray
Assistant Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs

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Dear Ms Cullingford,

Thank you for your email below, which has been progressed by my colleague
Kate Rayns who responded to your original request. I am aware that you
have also recently received a further response to your Internal Review
Request from Steve Murray, Assistant Director of Corporate and Legal
Affairs.

With regard to your question below, I am advised that UHL does not hold
information on the book value of the machine at the end of the write-off
period, as the equipment was not owned by the Trust at any point and was
not therefore on its books. I am sorry that this was not made clear in our
original response. The equipment was owned by West Leicestershire Clinical
Commissioning Group.

I hope that this is helpful.  Please let me know if we can assist you in
any other way.

Yours sincerely,

Helen Stokes

Corporate and Committee Services Manager

Belgrave House, Leicester General Hospital site

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Tel: 0116 258 8590

Information contained in emails may be subject to disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, and confidentiality cannot therefore be
guaranteed.  Please ensure that all emails are accurate and appropriate,
and are retained/deleted in accordance with good practice and any policies
of the Trust.  If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please
inform the sender, delete the email from your system and destroy any
copies you may have made.

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