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Ophthalmology IT Systems and Imaging Capabilities

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information regarding the ophthalmology services and IT systems used within your Trust:

Ophthalmology Department & IT Record System
1. Does your Trust have an ophthalmology department and/or provide ophthalmology clinics?
2. If so, what is the name of the principal IT record system used to document results from patient consultations within ophthalmology?

Imaging Capabilities & System Integration
3. Does the principal IT system allow clinicians to view images from scans conducted during a clinic visit?
4. Are there any types of medical images that cannot be imported into this principal IT system? If so:
• What is the name of the IT programme used by clinicians to view these images?
• What is the name of the scan/modality that generates these images?

Data Integration with National Systems
5. Does the principal IT system integrate with the NHS Spine or other national patient record systems (e.g., OpenEyes, Medisoft, Epic)?
6. Does the system support the exchange of structured data with other NHS Trusts or external healthcare providers?

Patient Access & Communication
7. Does the system allow patients to access their ophthalmology records, including images, via the NHS App or another patient portal?
8. Are there any restrictions on how imaging data can be shared with patients and external providers?

Image Storage & Viewing Capabilities
9. What is the storage capacity and retention policy for ophthalmology-related imaging within the IT system?
10. If images are not viewable within the principal IT system, does the Trust use a separate PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) for ophthalmology imaging?

Future IT Developments & Interoperability
11. Is the Trust planning any upgrades or changes to its ophthalmology IT infrastructure in the next five years?
12. Are there known interoperability challenges that affect the transfer of ophthalmology data within the Trust or between NHS organizations?

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ADHD Assessments and Diagnoses in School-Aged Children. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request the following information relating to ADHD assessments and diagnoses in school-aged children.

The number of school-aged children assessed for ADHD symptoms in 2019/2020?
The number of school-aged children assessed for ADHD symptoms in 2020/2021?
The number of school-aged children assessed for ADHD symptoms in 2021/2022?
The number of school-aged children assessed for ADHD symptoms in 2022/2023?
The number of school-aged children assessed for ADHD symptoms in 2023/2024?
The number of school-aged children assessed for ADHD symptoms in 2024/2025?

The number of school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD in 2019/2020?
The number of school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD in 2020/2021?
The number of school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD in 2021/2022?
The number of school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD in 2023/2024?
The number of school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD in 2024/2025?

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The Primary Care-Associated Helicobacter Pylori testing

This FOI request seeks to establish the types, numbers, costs and timings of Helicobacter pylori tests performed by your Trust (or on its behalf) for primary care providers.

Question 1: Your Trust
In your response to this FOI request, could you please specify the identity of the parts of your Trust for which this FOI is relevant, and for which you are responding.

Question 2: Types of Tests and Providers Which types of tests relevant for the primary care diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (e.g., stool antigen test, urea breath test, serology) do you perform within your Trust, or have performed on your behalf by a Third party? If outsourced, could you please specify the Third party used.

Question 3: Test Types and Volumes
How many Helicobacter pylori tests of each of these types were performed by your Trust or on its behalf in the most recent 12-month period, or other defined accounting period for which data is available?

Question 4: Requirements for in-Person Testing Which types of tests required the in-person attendance of the patient at your Trust or its Third-party provider for testing, how many such in-person attendances were required, and what was the average time taken between patient arrival and departure?

Question 5: Turnaround Time for Test Results Specifying each type of Helicobacter pylori test performed by your Trust, or on its behalf, could you please provide the average time (in hours) between receipt of sample to transmission of test result to the GP practice?

Question 6: Test costs and Tariffs
For each type of Helicobacter pylori test performed by your Trust or on its behalf, what is the total cost of performing the test to your Trust or the Third party provider (i.e., personnel, infrastructure, reagents and consumables, etc)? What does your Trust charge for performing each of these tests? Do these tests correspond to standard NHS tariffs or HRG codes? If so, could you please specify the tariff code and amount charged for each test type.

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Management of Doctors, Nursing and AHPs

I am writing to submit a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I am seeking clarification regarding the management of staffing contracts and associated services within your Trust. Specifically, I would like to request information about the companies or processes involved in managing the following areas across the staffing groups of Doctors, Nursing, and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs):

1. Direct Engagement – Management of direct engagement of staff.
2. Neutral Vendor Contracts – Oversight of neutral vendor agreements for agency staff.
3. Bank Staff Management – Administration and management of staff banks.
4. Master Vendor Contracts – Oversight and management of master vendor contracts.
For each of these areas, please provide the following information:
• The name(s) of the company or organization managing these services, if applicable.
• A brief description of their roles and responsibilities.
• Confirmation if the service is managed internally by the Trust, and if so, whether this is supported by any platforms or tools (in-house or otherwise).
• If a platform is used internally, confirmation that it is not managed by a third party.
• Confirmation if a particular area is not applicable to your Trust.
• An end date for the contract if applicable.

If it is not possible to provide all the information requested, please provide as much as you are able.

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Staff Contact Details

The person who holds the following job title or responsibilities within your organisation. Please could you include their Job title, name and email address.

1. Director of Digital
2. Director of Digital Transformation
3. Chief Information Officer
4. Director of Information Technology
5. Chief Clinical Information Officer
6. Head of Information Technology
7. Digital Innovations Lead
8. Associate Director of Informatics – Infrastructure
9. Digital Systems Technical Lead
10. Deputy Digital Portfolio Director
11. Director of Improvement and Integration
12. Head of ICT Operations
13. Digital Services Project Manager
14. Chief Digital Information Officer
15. Chief Nursing Information Officer
16. Digital Applications Manager
17. Digital Services Manager
18. Head of Information and Performance

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Children and Young People Mental Health Services Waiting Times

For the 12 months between January 2024 to December 2024:

1. The number of children and young people (adolescents) who were referred to your mental health services?
2. The number of children and young people (adolescents) who were referred to your mental health services and are still waiting for first contact?
3. The number of children and young people (adolescents) who were referred to your mental health services and are still waiting for the second contact [assessment appointment]?
4. How many of those children and young people (adolescents) had their referral closed before accessing support?
5. How many urgent contacts to CAMHS did you receive due to an emergency situation while a child or adolescent is waiting for first contact from your mental health services?
6. Please can you provide the longest wait time from referral to first appointment?
7. Please can you provide a breakdown of the numbers of those children and young people (adolescents) referred to your mental health services who identify as male, female, transgender or undisclosed gender?
8. Please can you provide a breakdown of the numbers of those children and young people (adolescents) referred to your mental health services for ‘reaching crisis’?

For the 12 months between January 2023 to December 2023:
1. The number of children and young people (adolescents) who were referred to your mental health services?
2. The number of children and young people (adolescents) who were referred to your mental health services and are still waiting for first contact?
3. The number of children and young people (adolescents) who were referred to your mental health services and are still waiting for second contact [assessment appointment]?
4. How many of those children and young people (adolescents) had their referral closed before accessing support?
5. How many urgent contacts to CAMHS did you receive due to an emergency situation while a child or adolescent is waiting for first contact from your mental health services?
6. Please can you provide the longest the longest wait time from referral to first appointment?
7. Please can you provide a breakdown of the numbers of those children and young people (adolescents) referred to your mental health services who identify as male, female, transgender or undisclosed gender?
8. Please can you provide a breakdown of the numbers of those children and young people (adolescents) referred to your mental health services for ‘reaching crisis’?

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Provision of Vestibular Assessment and Rehabilitation

I would like to make a Freedom of Information request regarding the provision of vestibular assessment and rehabilitation by your Trust’s Falls Prevention Service (or equivalent).
World Guidelines for Falls Prevention and Management for Older Adults: A Global Initiative published in September 2022 (see below link) recommend routinely asking about dizziness and undertaking follow up assessment to identify causes, including vestibular. They reference the high incidence of BPPV and vestibular dysfunction in those presenting with falls and suggest managing vestibular issues should be considered as part of a multifactorial approach.
World Guidelines for Falls Prevention and Management for Older Adults: A Global Initiative | British Geriatrics Society (bgs.org.uk)

The request therefore has 3 specific questions:
1. Does your falls prevention team (or equivalent) have staff trained to assess and treat vestibular dysfunction?
2. If so, from which profession(s)?
3. Do you have any plans to develop this part of your falls prevention service?

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International Recruitment

Permanent / international recruitment – questions
How many roles did you recruit via international recruitment during the period August 2024 to January 2025?
Please provide a further breakdown by:
• Number of Nurses including banding
• Number of Doctors including grades
• Number of AHP including banding

Of these hires made please confirm the number of hires made using a recruitment agency.
Please provide a further breakdown by:
• Number of Nurses including banding
• Number of Doctors including grades
• Number of AHP including banding

Of the agencies used, please confirm:
• Which agency was used for the hire
• Which framework was utilised for the hire
• Please include non-framework agencies also

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Mental Health Patient Homicides

FOI request: Mental health patient homicides at Gloucester Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and independent investigations

1. Please disclose since 1994, how many homicides by trust patients have occurred within a year of contact with the trust (and its predecessor bodies).

Please give a breakdown by year.

2. How many of these patient homicides were reported to NHS England or its predecessor bodies?

Please give a breakdown by year.

3. How many of the patient homicides reported to NHS England were independently investigated under HSG 94-27?

If not all patient homicides were reported to NHS England and/or its predecessor bodies, can the trust explain why this was so?

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Early Intervention in Psychosis

Dear Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust,

This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like to request the following information:

1. The number of patients treated year-on-year by the Early Intervention in Psychosis team of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in:
a. 2020/21
b. 2021/22
c. 2022/23
d. 2023/24
2. The number of staff that work in the Early Intervention in Psychosis team of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in:
a. 2020/21
b. 2021/22
c. 2022/23
d. 2023/24
3. The percentage increase/decrease in the budget for the Early Intervention in Psychosis team of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in:
a. 2020/21
b. 2021/22
c. 2022/23
d. 2023/24
4. What was the mean waiting time for EIP patients between first referral and starting treatment in:
a. 2020/21
b. 2021/22
c. 2022/23
d. 2023/24
5. What was the longest waiting time for an EIP patient on your caseload between first referral and starting treatment in:
a. 2020/21
b. 2021/22
c. 2022/23
d. 2023/24

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B&B Accommodation for Discharged Mental Health Patients

Under the Freedom of Information Act please can you provide the following information:

1. Between January 2024 and December 2024 (inclusive) did the trust use any bed and breakfast accommodation for discharged mental health patients?
If so, how many beds?
2. What was the reason for using them?
3. During the same period how much was spent in total on B&B accommodation for mental health patients?

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Hospital Admissions Related to Sunbed Injuries

I am submitting a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like to obtain data regarding the number of hospital admissions related to sunbed injuries. Specifically, I request the following information in whichever format is easiest to provide: SNOMED, ICD-11, or free text.

1. Sunbed Admissions (SNOMED)
The number of hospital admissions for patients presenting with sunbed-related injuries, classified under:
• 403588002 – Addiction to sunbed use (disorder)
• 242537009 – Exposure to man-made ultraviolet light (event)
• 466293001 – Ultraviolet tanning device (physical object)
If possible, please also include:
• Age group (e.g.: under 18, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85-94, 95-100, over 100)
• Gender of the patient
• Brief description of the reason for admission
• Treatment received for the injury
2. Sunbed Admissions (ICD-11)
The number of hospital admissions for patients presenting with sunbed injuries, categorised under:
• EJ41 – Burn from exposure to artificial source of ultraviolet radiation
o EJ41.0 – Burn from exposure to therapeutic ultraviolet radiation
o EJ41.Y – Other specified burn from exposure to artificial source of ultraviolet radiation
o EJ41.Z – Burn from exposure to artificial source of ultraviolet radiation, unspecified
If possible, please also include:
• Age group (as above)
• Gender of the patient
• Brief description of the reason for admission
• Treatment received for the injury
3. Sunbed Admissions (Free Text)
The number of hospital admissions for patients presenting with sunbed injuries, provided in free text format.
If possible, please also include:
• Age group (as above)
• Gender of the patient
• Brief description of the reason for admission
• Treatment received for the injury
Timeframe
For each month over the past five years (2019–2024), please provide the total number of individuals recorded.

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Mechanical Ventilation

I am writing to formally request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
regarding the use of mechanical ventilation within your hospital trust, specifically for patients
undergoing an MRI scan and those requiring in-hospital transportation while intubated.
Please provide responses to the following questions:

1. What is the current policy for mechanical ventilation of patients undergoing an MRI scan
within your NHS trust?
2. Which department has the primary responsibility for overseeing the mechanical
ventilation of patients in the MRI suite? Is it the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or the MRI
department?
3. Which mechanical ventilators are currently used when conducting MRI scans on patients
within your MRI department?
4. Please provide the make, model, and age of the current mechanical transport
ventilators used within your trust.
5. Could you list the specific MRI-compatible ventilators currently in use within your trust?
6. Please provide the contact details (name, job title, and email/telephone) of the lead
clinical person overseeing the use of mechanical transport ventilation within your trust.
7. Please provide the name and contact details of the technician responsible for
overseeing the usage and maintenance of these ventilators within your trust.

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Waiting List Figures Split by Mental Health Condition

I am writing to request information under the freedom of information act on your organisations waiting list information.

1. Please can you fill in the table provided on waiting list figures for Adults and Children and Young People (CYP) split by Mental Health Condition

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Policies

I write to make a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for access to the following information held by Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust:

I. Care of the Deteriorating Patient Policy
II. Digital Call Recording Policy
III. CLP247 Assessment and Care Management Policy
IV. CLP005 Health Records and Clinical Record Keeping Policy
V. Mental Health Intermediate Care Team (MHICT) Operational Policy v10
VI. Supporting Attendance Policy and Procedures
VII. Home Working Policy (Final)
VIII. Improving Performance Policy and Procedure v4
IX. Disciplinary Policy and Procedure v3
X. Core Assessment Form(s) within RiO
XI. Maxwell Centre/Suite Checklist Form
XII. Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (Let’s Talk) Operational Policy – including assessment and treatment guidance/policy for therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Note: Please provide any policies, guidance, or procedures that were introduced, in use, or updated between April 2023 and September 2023. If specific documents from that period are unavailable, please provide the closest available version, and specify the time frame during which it was in use, as well as the date it was withdrawn, if known. Additionally if a policy has since been entirely replaced, updated, or changed, kindly provide the most recent version of that policy. And:
XIII. Multi-Agency Section 136 Policy, Procedure, and Guidance (only if it has been reviewed or updated as part of the Right Care, Right Person approach).

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Patient Flow System

Please could you answer the following questions under the Freedom of Information Act.

1. Does your trust have a patient flow system?
2. If so, is it using the electronic patient record, Or the national offer built on Palantir/Foundry?
3. Or does the Trust have a specialist flow product? If so, what is the
• Supplier name
• System name
• Contract expiry date

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Pressure Care Guidance and Incidents

I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request data on bed sore-related death reports and complaints made to this trust.

• Please provide any trust guidance on pressure care (for the care and prevention of pressure sores, pressure ulcers, or bed sores) issued to administrators and/or hospital staff in the past 24 months.
• For the following years, please provide the number of patients within the trust treated for bedsores (classified as ICD-10 code L-89), as filed in Datix, Ulysses or other relevant reporting systems:
o 2022
o 2023
o 2024

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Digital Technology used in Mental Health Services

1. The names of any digital mental health technologies currently in use by the trust, including the start date for the contract and its duration. If the DMHT is being used as part of a pilot or research project please specify this.
2. The names of any service providers commissioned/sub-contracted by the trust to provide a healthcare service, which uses DMHT. I know that your ICB is responsible for commissioning services but I know that on occasion trusts will bring in third sector/independent sector providers on a sub-contract or other arrangement. Please only include those contracts arranged by the trust, not the ICB.

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Web Filtering and Security Awareness

Please could you provide the following information:
General:

* Number of Sites
* Number of Employees
* Number of IT Staff
* Annual IT Budget

Web Security

1. Who is the provide of your current web security solution?
2. Does your current web security provide you visibility in to cloud and/or business application usage?
3. When is the contract up for renewal?
4. Typically, what is the chosen duration of these contracts 12, 24, or 36 Months?
5. Name and contact details of the person responsible?
6. Current annual spend for this contract?
7. Current number of licenses for this contract?
8. Did you purchase via a reseller, or partner (if yes, please specify who e.g. Phoenix, Softcat etc.)?
9. Are you planning on assigning specific budgets for securing web security in 2025?
10. Do you procure this technology through the G-Cloud framework (if not, how do you procure & plan to procure Web security in the future?)

Security Awareness Training

1. Do you current undertake cyber security awareness training with your staff?
2. Who is your current Security Awareness Training provider?
3. When is the contract up for renewal?
4. Typically, what is the chosen duration of these contracts 12, 24, or 36 Months?
5. Name and contact details of the person responsible?
6. Current annual spend for this contract?
7. Current number of licenses for this contract?
8. Did you purchase via a reseller, or partner (if yes, please specify who e.g. Phoenix, Softcat etc.)?
9. Are you planning on assigning specific budgets for Security Awareness Training in 2025?
10. Do you procure this technology through the G-Cloud framework (if not, how do you procure & plan to procure Security Awareness Training in the future?)

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DEI Positions in NHS Trusts

What is the total number of staff hired in a diversity, equality, equity or inclusion role?

What was the total spend on diversity, equality and equity or inclusion, including staff salaries and external training bodies and courses for the last financial year?

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Datacentre Information

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request the following information regarding the datacentre(s) maintained by your NHS Trust:
1. Which technology vendors provide the trusts primary data storage arrays? E.g Dell/Netapp/Tintri/Pure/Storage/HPE//Nutanix etc.
2. What is the size in Terabytes of the primary storage environment?
3. When does the current support contract expire on the primary data storage arrays?
4. What data storage array technology does the trust use to house the PACS environment?
5. What is the size in Terabytes of the PACS storage environment?
6. When does the current support contract expires on the primary storage arrays?
7. Which PACS provider does the trust use?
8. What Electronic Patient Record technology does the trust use?
9. Which backup technology does the trust use? E.g Veeam, Commvault, Rubrik
10. When does the current support contract expire on the backup technology?
11. Does the trust use public cloud storage? – Azure/AWS/Google Cloud
12. Does the trust use Azure VmWare Solution?
13. Does the trust have any stateless applications?
14. Does the trust use containers?
15. Does the trust use kubernetes?
16. Which frameworks does the trust tend to use to purchase hardware for the datacentre?
17. Which partners does the trust tend to use to purchase hardware for the datacentre?

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Organisation Service Provision Cost

I am writing to request information under the freedom of information act on your organisations service provision cost.

1. Please can you provide the annual cost of providing the below services for the financial year 2023/2024?
• Learning Disability Services
o Adult Cost
o Children and Young People Cost
• Autism Services
o Adult Cost
o Children and Young People Cost
• Eating Disorder Services
o Adult Cost
o Children and Young People Cost
• Early Intervention in Psychosis Services
o Adult Cost
o Children and Young People Cost
• ADHD Services
o Adult Cost
o Children and Young People Cost
• Anxiety and Depression Services
o Adult Cost
o Children and Young People Cost

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Surveying and Geospatial Activities

I am writing to submit a formal request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I kindly request the following details:

1. What are the biggest challenges your organisation currently faces in surveying and geospatial activity?

2. Are you confident in your full knowledge of the condition and knowledge of your impact on our local environment?

3. What are your organisation’s key strategic objectives for the next 12-24 months, and how does surveying and geospatial fit into these?

4. Please detail any planned development of sites or assets

5. Do you have a supplier for drainage mapping and surveying?

6. If so, please can you supply details of the contractual arrangements in place including date of award, details of any Framework used or link to the advertisement, contract value and duration

7. If not, please can you indicate what evaluation of the requirement for surveying and geospatial works have been undertaken?

8. Please share your planned procurement pipeline for surveying and geospatial works for the next 12 months

9. How do you engage with potential new suppliers—through open tenders, direct engagement, or supplier days?

10. Please can you confirm the individual responsible for managing your surveying and geospatial contracts or wider development contracts and provide their contact details and role title?

11. Please provide a list of frameworks that you procure related services through

12. Do you plan to repurpose any sites for renewable energy or solar farms?

13. Do you have any issues with subsidence in your properties? If so, where?

14. When developing/purchasing/selling a site, how do you verify that the boundaries are correct?

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Clinical Safety of Health IT Systems

1. The total number of Health IT systems currently in use by the organisation.
2. The number of Health IT systems currently in use by the Trust that have BOTH DCB0129 (from the manufacturer) AND DCB0160 (from the deploying organisation) Clinical Safety Case Reports.
3. The number of Health IT systems currently in use by the Trust that have a valid DCB0129 Clinical Safety Case Report from the manufacturer ONLY (i.e. have a DCB0129 report but NOT a DCB0160 report).
4. The number of Health IT systems currently in use by the Trust that have a valid DCB0160 Clinical Safety Case Report from the deploying organisation ONLY (i.e. have a DCB0160 report but NOT a DCB0129 report from the manufacturer).
5. The total Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) of Clinical Safety Officers who are currently actively working on DCB0129/DCB0160 implementation within the Trust.

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Fire Alarm and Fire Suppression Systems

We would be most grateful if you could provide us, under the Freedom of Information Act, with some information regarding current Fire Alarms & Fire Suppression Systems in place.

The details we require are:

– Hardware Brand: The primary hardware brand of the organisation’s:
a. Fire Alarms
b. Sprinklers
c. Fire extinguishers
d. Fire Doors

– Existing Supplier: If there is more than one supplier, please split each contract up individually.

– Contract Type: What is included in the current contracts with these suppliers? Comprehensive, Semi Comprehensive including call outs, Basic Service Only.

– Contract duration, end date and review date of the current contracts with these suppliers.

– On average, what is the annual spend on each of these systems for the Trust?

– Contact Detail: Of the person from with the organisation responsible for each contract with details including full name, job title, direct contact number and direct email address.

– If the contract is a managed by an outside Facility Management Company, please can you provide all the relevant details with including the contact details of the responsible person from the FM (Facilities Management) Company.

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Endoscopy Traceability Software

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the Endoscopy Traceability software currently in use within the Trust.

Could you please provide the following details:

Software Name and Supplier
The name of the current Endoscopy Traceability software in use and the details of the supplier.

Duration of Use
How long has the Trust been using this Traceability software?

Contract Start Date
The start date of the current contract for the Endoscopy Traceability software.

Contract End Date
The end date of the current contract.

Current Annual Contract Value
The Annual value of the current contract.

Procurement Framework (if applicable)
If relevant, please provide details of the procurement framework used to award the contract.

Who is responsible for managing the Endoscopy Traceability software?
Which service does this software fall under.

What machines are currently being used by your Endoscopy department?

What EWD cabinets or sterilisers are being used in your Endoscopy service.

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Clinical Vacancy Rates

I am writing to request information under the freedom of information act on your organisation’s vacancy rates.
1. Please can you provide the current vacancy rates for the bellow staffing groups-
• Medical
• Nursing and Healthcare Assistants
• Scientific, Therapeutic and Technical (STT) and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
• Healthcare Scientists
• Administrative and Support Staff
2. Please can you provide the three job roles with the highest vacancy rates in your organisation? For example Psychiatry, Psychology, Mental Health Nursing etc

Please note while question one refers to staffing groups, question two is referring to specific job roles outlined by NHS England under the heading Mental Health Roles found here- https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/working-in-mental-health/

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IG and IT Policies, NHS Policies for Email Storage at the Trust

1. What is the email retention policy at your trust for official NHS clinical staff emails related to patient care. Also, what is the retention policy for deleted clinical emails, deleted by staff from their mailbox?

1a) Does your trust require that clinical emails related to patient care be placed in the patient’s record?

2. What is the back-up policy at your trust for backing up clinical staff/doctor’s emails related to patient care? How often are the clinical emails backed-up and how long are the back-ups kept? Are the back-ups automated?

3. Are deleted clinical emails (deleted by staff) recoverable on the email system at your trust, either from onsite or offsite storage? How long after the emails are deleted by staff, can the emails be recovered from the different locations they are stored?

4. Your trust uses nhs.uk email so NHSMail helpdesk cannot assist with forensic discovery of emails. Hence, does your trust perform a forensic discovery equivalent to the forensic discovery provided by NHSmail help desk to retrieve deleted NHSmail (dot net) emails up to 2 years after they were created/sent even if deleted prior to 2 years by staff?

ie Can your trust retrieve deleted nhs.uk emails up to 2 years after they were created/received?

5. Do your doctor’s have the ability to permanently delete emails from all locations without IT system administrative privileges? Do the doctors at your trust have IT system administrative privileges?

6. When emails are deleted by clinical staff without significant knowledge and access rights, there are other possible places where the deleted emails can be recovered from: For example, local offline storage, where emails are cached on the local machine in an offline storage file (OST) which even when emails are deleted from the mailbox, can leave fully recoverable items, unless the OST file is forensically destroyed. Does your trust maintain an email OST for the staff NHS emails?

7. Are clinical staff emails archived off into different locations? If yes, what are these locations.

8. Can your trust IT team identify and create a log of emails deleted by a specified doctor working at your trust? How long after email deletion can the log still be created?

9. When emails are deleted on the local staff computer and need to be retrieved, administrators can perform a search across the entire MS 365 environment to establish the presence of any of these emails in other user mail-boxes and non-email storage locations – is this a process that your trust can perform via the IT team or other team?

10 If staff emails related to patient’s clinical care are requested under DPA 2018 SAR, what is the IT process undertaken at your trust to identify and retrieve the emails. Are offline storage searched and all locations as mentioned in this FOI or only the staff local computer/mailbox? Can you retrieve clinical emails requested under SAR DPA 2018 for up to 2 years after creation/send even if the staff have deleted them?

11) NHS’s data retention and information management policy states that “an email will be retained and available for forensic discovery in NHSMail for two years after it was sent/received or until it is deleted from the mailbox by staff, whichever is later.” Does your trust adhere to this policy with your nhs.uk email system? ie your trust must be able to retrieve a clinical email for 2 years after it was created or sent, even if it was deleted by staff prior to 2 years – NHSMail helpdesk cannot assist – so does your IT team have a process to ensure compliance with NHS’s policy highlighted above?

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Hospital Asset Tracking Management Outside Hospitals

I am doing some research into hospital asset tracking management outside hospitals. Please could you advise re the following: · Do you have a formal digital system for tracking products sent to other hospitals? (E.g. loaning a hip to a private hospital then tracking its return/re order/billing and payment) · Which local hospitals private do you send products to? · How often do you send them? · Do you have a reliable mechanism for ensuring compliance, payment and expediting? · Do you have a formal returns process for items given to the public (e.g. crutches) I look forward to hearing from you. Florence

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Trust processes to reduce medication waste

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information regarding your Trust’s processes to reduce medication waste. Please may you provide me with an answer to the following:

1. Does your Trust have a formal policy on medicines waste reduction?
i. Yes/No

2. Have any sustainability or environmental impact assessments been conducted regarding your Trust’s pharmaceutical waste
i. Yes/No
ii. If yes, please provide a brief summary of key findings.

3. Do you currently employ any staff specifically to support medicines waste?
i. Yes/No
ii. If yes, how many full time equivalents do you employ?

4. How often does your organisation report on the management of waste (including cost) at Board level?
i. Annually/Quarterly/Monthly/Never/Other (please state)

5. For each of the hospitals in your Trust, what is the value of medication you have had to waste in the last 2 financial years? This the value of medication that was the property of the hospital at the point it was wasted, i.e. the cost of medication that expired before int could be used.

6. For each hospital in your Trust, what has been your total drug spend over the past two financial years?

7. For the last two financial years combined what is the drug that you have wasted the most of, and what was the total cost?

8. Have any sustainability or environmental impact assessments been conducted regarding your Trust’s pharmaceutical waste
i. Yes/No
ii. If yes, please provide a brief summary of key findings.

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Whistleblowing policy

1. Please answer yes or no. In January 2025 was your Trust conducting any… internal review / investigation / report being compiled… into a consultant that has had concerns raised about him or her (i.e.. a whistle-blower has come forward and named the person)?
2. Please answer yes or no. In January 2025 was your Trust conducting any… internal review / investigation / report being compiled… into a junior doctor that has had concerns raised about him or her (i.e.. a whistle-blower has come forward and named the person)?
3. Please answer yes or no. In January 2025 was your Trust conducting any… internal review / investigation / report being compiled… into a nurse that has had concerns raised about him or her (i.e.. a whistle-blower has come forward and named the person)?
4. Please answer yes or no. Has your Trust conducted / started or concluded an internal or external review / investigation of a medical member of staff since January 1st 2023 following a whistle-blowers or patient raising concerns?
5. Please answer yes or no. If you answered yes to question 4 – did the member of medical staff being investigated continue to have contact with patients whilst the… review/investigation/report being written… was ongoing?
6. If you answered yes to Question 4, is the member(s) of staff that was investigated / reviewed still working at your Trust following the review conclusions?
7. If you answered yes to Question 4, for those reports that have concluded, was the member of staff that was investigated / reviewed found to have fallen short of the standards your Trust would expect from their medical staff?
8. If you answered yes to Question 4, how many members of medical staff were reviewed/ investigated following an internal whistle-blower raising concerns?
9. If you answered yes to Question 4, was the whistle-blower also investigated?
10. Please answer yes or no. Do you have any experience of a malicious whistle-blower? If yes, please share further details if able.
11. Please share any review conclusions / reports / write ups where possible.
12. Please share any further details of your whistle-blower policy here. How do you manage whistle-blower when they raise concerns?

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Midwifery

As part of a MSc Midwifery dissertation, I am investigating the number of Consultant Midwives/Consultant Midwifery Posts in the UK (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man). While Consultant Midwives (CMs) will primarily be employed within maternity services, an increasing number of Ambulance and Community/Mental Health organisations are utilising the specialist skills of senior Midwifery clinicians so I hope this data will help us to understand the distribution and impact of CMs in all our health services.

I would therefore be grateful if you would be able to provide the following information:

– Number of Consultant Midwives (headcount AND Whole Time Equivalent (WTE)) currently employed
– Number of vacant Consultant Midwifery posts (WTE), if applicable
– Salary band paid/offered to Consultant Midwives (e.g. Band 8b or Band 8c), if applicable
– Number of Trainee/Assistant Consultant Midwives (headcount AND WTE) currently employed
– Number of vacant Trainee/Assistant Consultant Midwife posts (WTE), if applicable
– Salary band paid/offered to Trainee/Assistant Consultant Midwives, if applicable

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Community Diagnostic Centres

I would be most grateful if you would provide me, under the Freedom of Information Act, details in respect to the below.

A. Please confirm the number of operational Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC)’s under the ICB. And of this number how many are

Standard
Large
Hub and spoke

B. Please list the locations of the sites along with their designation (Standard, Large or Hub and Spoke)

C. Standard model –  which services are being provided and annual activity levels e.g. pathology – phlebotomy x amount of tests.

Imaging
Pathology
Physiological science

D. Large model – which services are being provided and annual activity levels e.g. pathology – phlebotomy x amount of tests.

Imaging
Pathology
Physiological science
Endoscopy

E. Hub and Spoke model – which services are being provided and annual activity levels e.g. pathology – phlebotomy x amount of tests.

F. Is audiology or hearing services including wax removal offered at any of the sites listed above? Please list the locations where it is being offered.

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NHS Audiology Services

I would be most grateful if you would provide me, under the Freedom of Information Act, details in respect to the below.

1. Please list all providers that currently provide NHS audiology services in your region.

2. Please provide a copy of the current and most up to date service specification as contained in the relevant contract particulars for adult hearing care.

3. Please provide the date the adult hearing care service last was commissioned.

4. If adult hearing care is part of a wider service specification i.e. ENT, then please provide a copy of the current and most up to date service specification as contained in the relevant contract particulars.

5. If adult hearing care is part of a wider service specification i.e. ENT, then please provide the date this service was last commissioned.

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Temporary Agency Staffing

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, could you please provide me with the following information in relation to temporary agency staffing.

1. Does your organisation engage a Neutral Vend or Master Vend agency supplier for:
a. Medical
i. Name of the NV or MV agency supplier
ii. Expiry date of contract with the NV or MV agency supplier?

b. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
i. Name of the NV or MV agency supplier
ii. Expiry date of contract with the NV or MV agency supplier

c. Non-Medical, Non-Clinical (NMNC)
i. Name of the NV or MV agency supplier
ii. Expiry date of contract with the NV or MV agency supplier

d. Nursing
i. Name of the NV or MV agency supplier
ii. Expiry date of contract with the NV or MV agency supplier

2. Does your organisation utilise a Direct Engagement (DE) supplier for:
a. Medical
i. Name of the DE provider
ii. Expiry date of contract with the DE provider
iii. % of DE currently achieved

b. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
i. Name of the DE provider
ii. Expiry date of contract with the DE provider
iii. % of DE currently achieved

c. Non-Medical, Non-Clinical (NMNC)
i. Name of the DE provider
ii. Expiry date of contract with the DE provider
iii. % of DE currently achieved

3. For the most recent Financial Year you have available please can you supply the spend figures on temporary agency staffing (worker pay & agency commission only) for:
a. Medical
b. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
c. Non-Medical, Non-Clinical (NMNC)
d. Nursing

4. For the most recent Financial Year you have available please can you supply the number of hours worked by temporary agency workers for:
a. Medical
b. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
c. Non-Medical, Non-Clinical (NMNC)
d. Nursing
6. Where a contract is in place for the provision of a Neutral Vend, Master Vend and/or a Direct Engagement supplier, please can you advise who the lead contact or responsible officer within the organisation is for this contract?
– Name:
– Job title:
– Email:

7. Alternatively please can you advise who is responsible for temporary agency staffing at the organisation across the following departments:
a. Workforce Lead
Name:
Job Title:

b. Procurement Lead
Name:
Job Title:

c. Finance Lead
Name:
Job Title:

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Policies about Mental Health and Learning Disability

I am making this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I understand from the CQC’s registration directory, and your website, that you operate one or more ‘mental health units’, defined by the Mental Health (Use of Force) Act 2018, and that one or more of these units is either providing mental health inpatient services for people with learning disabilities, or sometimes accommodates people with learning disabilities as part of a wider adult mental health services

Request 1.

Following a previous FOI for ‘restraint policies’, please provide any adaptations of restraint-related policies, or procedures, for people with learning disabilities, e.g. easy read guidance. We are particularly interested in sourcing good practice in how people with learning disabilities are supported when they come into NHS mental health units.

Request 2.

Please could you list the ‘mental health units’ as defined above, which provide treatment to people with learning disabilities, either exclusively, or as part of wider adult services.

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Contact Centre/CRM

1. Contact Centre

a. Do you have a customer/ citizen facing contact centre?

b. Do you employ and manage your own agents, or do you outsource to a third party? If you outsource who to?

c. How many contact centre agents do you have?

d. Do agents work from home? Or just your offices?

e. Please confirm the manufacturer of your contact centre system(s) that are currently in place?

f. When is your contract renewal date?

g. Who maintains your contact centre system(s)?

2. CRM

a. Do you use a CRM in the contact centre? What platform is used?

b. Do you use the same CRM for the rest of the organisation? What platform is used?

c. Do you use a knowledge base / knowledge management platform? What platform is used?

3. AI & Automation

a. Does your organisation have a customer or citizen facing chatbot? If so, who provides this chatbot technology?

b. Does your organisation utilise RPA technology? If so which RPA technology provider do you use?

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International Healthcare Recruitment

1. Could you please provide the contact details for the procurement officer responsible for international recruitment within the trust? For Doctors, Nurses and AHP

2. Outside of Procurement who is the Senior Officer Responsible for International Recruitment For Nurse, Doctors, AHP? and their Contaact details?

3. Additionally, what is the budget allocated for international recruitment for the financial year 2025/26 for Nurse, Doctors, AHP? Who is the responsible officer to allocate this budget?

4. Current Vacancies at the trust per Specialty: General Nurse/ Mental Health Nurses/ AHP/ Doctors

5. During the financial year 2023/24, which international recruitment partners did the trust use, if any? Who are they planning to use for 2025/26? Who is the responsible officer who decides this?

6. How many international Doctors/Nurse/AHP did the trust receive in the financial year 2023/24?

7. What was the international recruitment spend Bifurgted by Doctors/Nurses/AHP by the trust for the financial year 23/24?

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Agency spend for doctors

In the period 1st November 2024 to 31st January 2025 please provide a breakdown of:
• Total trust spend with framework agencies for locum doctors
Please provide a further breakdown for locum doctors by:
• Spend per grade
• Spend per specialty
• Spend per agency name

In the period 1st November 2024 to 31st January 2025 please provide a breakdown of:
• Total trust spend with off-framework agencies for locums doctors
Please provide a further breakdown for locum doctors by:
• Spend per grade
• Spend per specialty
• Spend per agency name

In the period 1st November 2024 to 31st January 2025 please provide a breakdown of:
• Total trust spend with the internal trust bank or associated external provider for locum doctors
Please provide a further breakdown for locum doctors by:
• Spend per grade
• Spend per specialty
• Spend per internal or associated external provider

Please confirm your allocated budget for agency locum doctors for the period 1st November 2024 to 31st January 2025

Please confirm the name of the framework used for the supply of locum doctors in your trust.

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Aspects of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983

My FOI request is to ask for each of the two financial years 2018/19 and 2023/24:

1. Did your trust operate any HBPoS?
2. If yes, how many HBPoS were there in your Trust area?
3. During which days and hours was the HBPoS open or available to receive detainees. It might for example be generally closed but open on request between certain hours.
4. What was the maximum capacity of each HBPoS to receive detained persons?
5. If there has been a change in the number of HBPoS between the two years and if so is it possible to say why this has happened? It might for example be from changes in funding or it might be that alternative arrangements have been made.

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Rostering & Self- Rostering

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding Rostering and Self-Rostering. Please can you complete the below questions:

1. Please provide the rostering solution used for the below staffing groups. Where more than one supplier is used for each staff group, please provide the name of each supplier.

· Medical & Dental

· Nursing & Health Care Assistants

· Scientific, Therapeutic & Technical Staff including of Allied
Health Professionals

· Administration and Estates

2. Please list below the staffing groups where e-rostering is currently live and being used?

3. Please tick the below Medical Specialities that are currently rostered on the system

· General Medicine

· General Surgery

· Anaesthetics

· Obstetrics and Gynaecology

4. What percentage of workforce are rostered on the system? Please list the percentages by the staffing groups listed below-

· Medical & Dental

· Nursing & Health Care Assistants

· Scientific, Therapeutic & Technical Staff including of Allied
Health Professionals

· Administration and Estates

5. What is the contract start date for your rostering supplier/suppliers? Please list the name of the supplier and contract start date.

6. What is the contract end date for your rostering supplier/suppliers? Please list the name of the supplier and contract end date.

7. What was the annual cost of your rostering supplier/ suppliers for the financial year 22/23 (April 2022 – March 2023)?

8. Did the organisation use a framework to procure your rostering supplier/ suppliers? Please state the name of the supplier and framework it was procured from.

9. From the table below please indicate which interfaces are being used and at what frequency?

Interface
In/Out Daily Weekly Monthly Ad Hoc
ESR Generic Attendance Inbound Interface Out
ESR Generic Absence Inbound Interface Out
ESR Generic Outbound Interface In
E-Job Planning
In/Out
Junior Doctors
In/Out
Staffbank / Agency In/Out
Identity Provider Servers In/Out

Self Rostering
1. Does your organisation use self rostering? (If yes, please complete the below questions. If no, please ignore) 2. Please list below the staffing groups where self- rostering is currently being used?
3. What percentage of your workforce is currently utilizing self-rostering?
4. Are manual or technology based mechanisms used to facilitate self-rostering?

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Eating disorders

In the last 12 months – for both adult and children eating disorder services (both inpatient and outpatient) has your trust instructed someone to give a second opinion on a patient that is receiving treatment for an eating disorder?

In the last 12 months – for both adult and children eating disorder services (both inpatient and outpatient) has your trust refused to give a second opinion on a patient that is receiving treatment for an eating disorder?

In the last 12 months – for both adult and children eating disorder services (both inpatient and outpatient) where second opinions have happened, who did the trust instruct to give the second opinion?

Of the second opinions given in adult and children eating disorder services (both inpatient and outpatient) was the second opinion arranged by the clinical team or the patient/family?
Of the second opinions given in adult and children eating disorder services (both inpatient and outpatient) who paid for it?

Of the second opinions given in adult and children eating disorder services (both inpatient and outpatient) was it internal or external?

Of the second opinions given in adult and children eating disorder services (both inpatient and outpatient) what was the outcome?

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Medical temp staff supply/Associated costs

Please can you help me answer the questions below:

Medical temporary staffing supply

1. Do you manage your Medical Workforce Bank Internally? – Yes/No
2. If Yes to the question above, do you manage your Medical workforce bank internally using specialist bank technology e.g. Patchwork, NHS Professionals, Locums Nest, Liaison, Allocate? Please specify which one?
If Yes to the above questions is it actively used?

3. Do you outsource the management of your Medical workforce bank? – Yes/No
4. If Yes to the above question, can you confirm the supplier managing it for you?

5. Do you use Direct Engagement?
6. If Yes to the above question, can you confirm the supplier managing it for you? And can you specify the staff groups and if it is bank or agency?

7. What is your total Bank and agency hours for the Financial Year 2023/2024?

8. Does your Trust have any doctors that work on the bank via a LTD company?

Associated costs -Medical

9. Please confirm the charges that you pay to your technology provider for use of their system. e.g. Patchwork, NHS Professionals, Locums Nest, Liaison, Allocate? (in the last Financial Year 2023/2024)

10. Can you confirm how you are charged eg per hour, fixed fee, percentage? And what the fees are?

11. Please confirm the charges you pay your managed service provider for Medical Workforce? e.g. Patchwork, NHS Professionals, Locums Nest, Liaison, Allocate? (if applicable, in the last Financial Year 2023/2024)

12. Can you confirm how you are charged for managed service? eg per hour, fixed fee or percentage?

13. Please confirm the roster system provider used for your medical workforce? Eg Liaison, RL Datix etc

14. Please confirm charges that you pay to your technology provider for Direct Engagement? Eg per hour fixed fee, percentage

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Personal Carers in Trust Sites

1. Does your hospital trust allow patients to have their Personal Assistant/paid carers assist them in hospital settings?
2. Does your trust have a protocol or policy in place regarding Personal Assistants/paid carers assisting with complex care needs in hospital settings? What is it?
3. Does this policy apply both to admissions as well appointments and treatments as a day patient?
4. How many times in the last 3 years has a patient had their care needs met by their usual PAs/paid carers whilst in hospital?

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List of all NHS hospital at home or virtual ward

Dear FOI team, My name is Jiakun Yu and I am a doctor working at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. I would like to make the following FOI request: 1. Could you provide a list of all NHS hospital at home or virtual ward available in your region as well as their email contact information please. Many thanks, Jiakun Yu

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IT System/Application Implementations

Under the Freedom of information Act 2000, I request the following information:

• What IT systems/applications are you planning to replace or upgrade over the next two years?
• What new IT systems/applications have you recently procured and are planning to implement?
• What are your implementation timescales for these deployments?
• Is the Trust using or considering external support for any IT system/applications implementations?
• If applicable, what current digital maternity system do you use?

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Provision of lone worker devices or apps

How many of your employees are defined as lone workers or high-risk staff?
• Who is your current provider of lone worker devices/apps?
• How did you procure the service (e.g. tender, direct award, framework)?
• If framework, which framework did you procure through (GCloud, NHS Framework or other)?
• How many devices/apps do you currently pay for?
• How much are you paying per device/app?
• What is the end date for your current contract?
What is the name and job title of the person or persons managing your lone worker devices/apps

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