Trust HQ
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Brockworth
Gloucester
GL3 4AW
Tel: 0300 421 8100
E-mail: freedomofinformation@ghc.nhs.uk Website: www.ghc.nhs.uk
8th July 2022
Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 137
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Unfortunately, we will not be able to respond to this request for the following reasons:
• Between 2017-2019 pre-merger, GCS did not pursue charging for overseas patients accessing services. • Since merger, the impact of having to focus on delivery in Covid has meant that the overseas charging process with a data collection structure to support has not been a priority and therefore is in development and will not be retrospectively applied. • The overseas charging law changed in 2019 and if a patient were unable to return to their usual country to access abortion care before the gestational limits they were able to access care without charge
• Overseas patients are not clearly flagged in records systems, so any information on numbers would require a manual review and we would not have capacity to undertake that work.
Should you have any queries in relation to our response in this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to: –
– Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth
GLOUCESTER GL3 4AW
——-
E-mail: —
If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office ICO. for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Officer
On behalf of Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust
FOI Request
This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please can you provide the following information regarding charging non-UK citizens for abortion services, as per The National Health Service Charges to Overseas Visitors. Amendment. Regulations 2017.
Please note there are three parts to my request. 1. Between 23 October 2017 and 31 May 2022, how many overseas visitors have been charged for accessing abortion healthcare at your Trust
2. Between 23 October 2017 and 31 May 2022, what is the total sum raised by your Trust from payments from overseas visitors accessing abortion healthcare 3. Between 23 October 2017 and 31 May 2022, how many non-EEA citizens who do not have indefinite leave to remain have been charged for accessing abortion healthcare at your Trust
If answering all three questions takes my request over the cost limit, please can you respond to Questions 1 and 2 only. I would like to receive the information electronically. If you feel that a substantive response to this request is not possible within a reasonable time frame, or the request is too broad or too vague, I would be grateful if you could contact me, either by email or telephone 07723324240. and provide assistance as how I could refine the request. Many thanks.