April 2021

Request received

I am writing today to request information on any hip and knee replacement surgery policies you have in place, specifically focusing on any BMI or smoking restrictions in place. I am also requesting information on any previous policies that have since been replaced.

This is part of a research project examining BMI and smoking thresholds prior to hip and knee replacement surgery.

Our response

NHS Kernow does not have (or ever has had) any kind of policy for orthopaedic surgery based on BMI or smoking status.

Request received

These questions relate to funding of nursing home places for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) or traumatic brain injury.

1. How many such nursing home places is the CCG currently funding. Preferably provide the number of places funded at 31 March 2021.
2. What was the number of places funded at:
   • 31 March 2020
   • 31 March 2019
3. What is the:
   • lowest
   • highest
   • average weekly rate paid by the CCG to nursing homes providing these places?
4. How many of the places being funded at 31 March 2021 were:
   • within the CCG boundary
   • within the boundary of an adjacent CCG
   • outside these areas
5. How many different care homes provide these services to the CCG?
6. How many new ABI placements were made during the year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021?
7. How many of these placements were delayed by over 2 months due to lack of availability of specialist nursing home places?

Our response

1. NHS Kernow holds the information but where the numbers are less than 5, the information cannot be disclosed as it could potentially identify the individuals involved. Especially if combined with other data, this would constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act 2018. Therefore, this information is exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the grounds that it is personal information.
2. Number of places funded:
   • 6
   • 9
3. What is the:
   • lowest: £950.00
   • highest: £5165.74
   • average weekly rate: £2,683.24
4. Places being funded at 31 March 2021:
   • less than 5 – see response to answer 1
   • less than 5 – see response to answer 1
   • 0
5. Not known.
6. Less than 5 – see response to answer 1.
7. Not known.

Request received

1. How many service users in the CCG’s area of service required treatment of disease, disorder and injury (TDDI) and complex care at home packages between 1 January to 31 March 2021?
2. What private companies provided care at home’ packages that required TDDI CQC certification in between 1 January to 31 March 2021?
3. What did each private company charge (per hour) for both nurses and healthcare assistants and support workers in the CCG’s area of service in between 1 January to 31 March 2021?
4. What is the CCG’s annual spend on home care and nursing agencies in 2020?

Our response

For questions 1 and 2, NHS Kernow does not the information in this format. Our system is unable to differentiate the information requested

For question 3, NHS Kernow does not hold this information. This is a contractual arrangement between the agency and the employee

Our annual spend on home care and nursing agencies in 2020 was £33,132,341.

Request received

1. Tariff paid to any allied health professionals (AHP) clinical out-patient service for a face to face appointment (this may be a payment per appointment, contact or session on a payment by result (PbR) type contract).
2. Tariff paid to AHP clinical out-patient service for a telehealth, digital or virtual appointment (this may be a payment per appointment, contact or session on a PbR type contract).
3. Tariff paid to AHP clinical out-patient service for a telephone appointment (this may be a payment per appointment, contact or session on a PbR type of contract).
4. Detail(s) of any block contract with any the AHP outpatient services that specify number of contacts; according to the terms of the contract do these contacts need to be face to face or can they be delivered via telehealth (which includes via video link, via a virtual platform, via a web link, via telephone).
5. Information of the above for financial year 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021.

Our response

NHS Kernow has applied section 12 of Freedom of information Act 2000 because compliance would exceed the appropriate cost limit. We are unable to answer the question in its entirety due to the time it would take to identify this information across multiple contracts including the independent providers used across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

However, NHS Kernow is in block contract arrangements with its 2 largest providers which includes delivery of services via a variety of allied health professionals. These service line budgets are agreed at speciality level based on forecasted levels of activity for each financial year. The tariff is paid on the service delivered (for example first outpatient appointment) but there is no adjustment in tariff paid based on the modality of delivery. We would pay the same for a face-to-face appointment delivered by a health professional as we would if that same professional provided a virtual telephone or video consultation. The only difference would be when the service provided does not consist of any contact with the patient themselves (for example if advice and guidance is given to a GP). This would be paid at proportion of the specialty tariff.

Request received

1. Under what specific contract and terms have Ezec been operating under since October 2016?
2. On which exact date did Ezec take over the NSL contract, also what was their go live date?
3. Why did the fact that Ezec were buying a number of NSL care services in 2016 automatically mean that NSL care services contract was novated to Ezec?
4. On what date did NSL notify NHS Kernow of their inability to adhere to the contract with them?
5. What is Ezec’s year on year KPIs since they took over the contract from NSL?
6. How are the KPIs evaluated by NHS Kernow?
7. What has Ezec’s KPI performance been year on year since taking over the contract from NSL?
8. What is the process when a provider (Ezec) fails to provide services under the terms of the contract with NHS Kernow?
9. If the KPIs are not met as per the contract are third party providers used?
10. If third party providers are used who commissions them?
11. Is the use of third party providers written into the contact and if so under what terms?
12. Where are the FOI requests for December 2020 to March 2021, as they do not appear on the NHS Kernow website with all previous months.
13. How has Ezec performed from Jan 2020 to April 2021 in relation to the contracted KPIs?

Our response

1. NHS standard contract.
2. 27 May 2016 (midnight).
3. NSL asked permission of NHS Kernow to novate their contract to Ezec which was agreed, a VEAT notice was issued under Regulation 32(c) of the Public Contract Regulations (Extreme Urgency). Contract was successfully novated.
4. 1 year before novation.
5. KPIs are:
   • 1a. Service users to arrive at ultimate destination up to 30 minutes prior to appointment time
   • 1b. Service users to arrive at ultimate destination up to 45 minutes prior to appointment time
   • 1c. Service users to arrive at ultimate destination prior appointment time
   • 1d. Renal patients to arrive at ultimate destination up to 30 minutes prior to appointment time
   • 2a. Service users to be collected at their agreed discharge or ready time up to 30 minutes after their identified ready time
   • 2b. Service users to be collected at their agreed discharge or ready time up to 45 minutes after their identified ready time
   • 2c. Service users to be collected at their agreed discharge or ready time up to 60 minutes after their identified ready time
   • 2d. Renal patients to be collected at their agreed discharge or ready time up to 30 minutes after their identified ready time
   • 2e. Journeys for short notice bookings will take place within 60 minutes of booking time
   • 2f. Journeys for short notice bookings will take place within 90 minutes of booking time
   • 2g. Journeys for short notice bookings will take place within 120 minutes of booking time
   • 3a. Service users living up to 10 miles away from the treatment centre should not spend more than 60 minutes on the vehicle on either an outward or return journey
   • 3b. Service users living over 10 and under 35 miles away from the treatment centre should not spend more than 90 minutes on the vehicle on either an outward or return journey
   • 3c. Service users living over 35 and less than 50 miles away from the treatment centre should not spend more than 120 minutes on the vehicle on either an outward or return journey
   • 4. Service users to be delivered home or to their agreed destination within 10 minutes of time to specific home visit
   • 5. Centralised booking office at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust to receive at least 30 minutes notice of any change to service user drop off time or collection time
6. Under the terms of their NHS contract.
7. NHS Kernow report monthly, so have included the KPI performance for March each year (end of financial year).
8. As per contract management terms in the NHS standard contract.
9. Not within the terms of NHS standard contract and prior permission of NHS Kernow.
10. The provider.
11. No.
12. The NHS Kernow FOI disclosure log is usually updated on a quarterly basis, but due to some changes to the way it is published there have been delays in the publication of the recent disclosure logs. Currently information to January 2021 is shown.
13. NHS Kernow only have data up to February 2021 so far; however, it should be noted that a national directive was issued in March 2020 to suspend KPIs because of the COVID pandemic.

Request received

I’d like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for all transactions over £25,000 from November 2020 to at most a month in arrears from the date at which you publish in response to this request.

Our response

NHS Kernow can confirm in line with section 1 of the act that the information is held by the organisation. Under section 22 of the act: information intended for future publication, NHS Kernow exempt the release of the requested information.

NHS Kernow has been updating our website and apologise for the delay in publishing this information. Data up to February 2021 is now available.

Request received

1. How many dedicated whole time equivalent diabetes inpatient specialist nurses (DISN) do you have in your trust?
2. Of these, how many were redeployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the first and second waves?
3. Do you have any provisions in your trust for mental health and wellbeing?
4. If yes, which service?
5. Has any of the DISN been referred or self-referred to the mental health and well-being services?
6. If yes, how many?
7. How many acute beds do you have in your trust (excluding maternity and paediatrics)?
8. Have all the DISN been COVID risk assessed?

Our response

NHS Kernow is a clinical commissioning group responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services. NHS Kernow does not hold the information requested which is specific to staff employed by a provider trust.

The nurses in question are employed and line managed by Cornwall NHS Partnership Trust with an inter-trust agreement with Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust for provision.

For question 7, please contact Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.

For all other questions, please contact Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Request received

1. How many individuals with Type 1 diabetes are recorded across your CCG area? Please can you break this total down into the following groups:
   • paediatric
   • pregnancy
   • adult (excluding pregnancy)
2. Does your CCG have local guidance in place regarding the use of real-time Continuous Glucose Monitoring (rt-CGM)? If so, please could you provide us with a copy of this guidance (or a link to an online document if easier).
3. What measures does your CCG take to enable access and support for individuals with Type 1 diabetes who require rt-CGM in areas where there is high multiple deprivation indices?
4. Does your CCG provide funding for rt-CGM to individuals with Type 1 diabetes? If yes:
   • how many individuals have rt-CGM support funded across your CCG?
   • which funding stream is used to provide rt-CGM support to across your CCG?
5. Beyond rt-CGM, please list any other diabetes technologies that are funded and available through your CCG to those with Type 1 diabetes in your area?

Our response

1. 2,930.
   • Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust caseload is 206 and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust caseload is 41 with transition between 16 and 18 years
   • 25 per year on average
   • 2,683
2. NHS Kernow commissioning policies.
3. All patients treated equally against the patient eligibility criteria.
4. Yes, according to the policy.
   • NHS Kernow does not hold this information as the CGMs are purchased through the acute trust on a block basis and we do not receive information about how many CGMs are prescribed by secondary care
   • block contract arrangement
5. Flash glucose meters.

Request received

1. Please identify and provide contact (telephone and/or email) details for the correct person within your CCG who is responsible for information regarding section 117 (S117) aftercare. This may be the S117 commissioner, commissioning support unit or continuing healthcare commissioners. For each of the following questions, if the answers are different or you have different policies for different group, please provide a separate response for each group. For example older peoples mental health, learning disability.
2. Please provide a brief outline of how you determine and agree the allocation of S117 aftercare costs between the CCG and relevant local authority?
3. Do you apply a generic split (or pooled budget) for S117 aftercare costs, for example a 50:50 (or other specific) split of costs between local authority and CCG? If yes, please specify the respective shares. Split or pooled budget
   • If you apply a generic split in degerming CCG and local authority contributions, does this apply to all individuals in receipt of S117 aftercare or to specific patient groups only? Please specify.
   • If you apply a generic split in degerming CCG and local authority contributions for any or all patients, does this apply to the full cost or only to costs above a specific financial threshold? If the latter applies, please specify the relevant threshold.
4. If the share of costs between the CCG and local authority is, instead, agreed either for all individuals or for a specific patient group, on a case-by-case basis, please outline how the respective shares of contributions are derived and provide a copy of the criteria or tools used to achieve this. If you do not routinely record this information, can you please provide an estimate of the proportion of costs in such cases which are paid by the CCG?
   • Where funding shares are agreed on a case by case, how often are the shares applicable in individual cases reviewed?
   • Where funding shares are agreed on a case-by-case basis, please provide the proportion of total S117 aftercare costs which are attributable to, and paid by the CCG? Please specify if this proportion is based on the total cost all individuals? Or does it relate to, for example, packages of care commencing in a specific period? For example the financial year 2020 to 2021.
5. Does the total cost identified for joint funding under S117 aftercare arrangements include the costs of universal health service provision? For example GP and primary care services, community mental health team activity, community nursing and costs of medications. If so, please advise what is specifically included or excluded.
6. When S117 aftercare requires placement in a nursing home, with support from a registered nurse for their mental health needs, is the CCG share of costs based on a total cost which includes FNC contribution? Or is FNC excluded from the total cost before that cost is apportioned?

Our response

1. NHS Kernow does not release the names of employees below director level. The responsible director is John Groom, director planned and integrated care.
2. Each S117 aftercare case is agreed on an individual basis, via a multi-disciplinary approach dependent on presenting needs assessment by trained.
3. No. Although many cases are agreed on 50% basis, this is not uniform and is decided for each individual. There is no generic split policy. Some groups, for example older adults with dementia, are more likely to be a 50% split, with other groups, such as adult mental health, are more variable in proportional split.
4. NHS Kernow and the 2 local authorities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly determine costing splits for S117 aftercare on an individual basis. There is currently no apportionment tool in use and the funding split is a negotiated agreement between NHS Kernow and the local authority based on a case discussion, where necessary. Information provided on our funding application form can provide the necessary basis on which to make a funding split proposal. Some cases require longer discussion.
   • package costs are reviewed as part of the joint care plan review process and dependent on several factors including changes in the individual’s needs
   • in 2020 to 2021, the estimated share of funding between NHS and local authority is NHS Kernow 77% and local authority 23%
5. Costs are for care and accommodation only. There are few exceptional cases where specialist intervention is provided through spot purchase, but this is very small amounts in relation to the total spend.
6. NHS Kernow understand that funded nursing care (FNC) is not applicable to individuals under S117 unless the need is unrelated to mental health.

Request received

1. The total number of CAMHS referrals closed before treatment began from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (or the nearest possible date).
2. The percentage of CAMHS referrals closed before treatment began from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (or the nearest possible date).
3. A breakdown of reasons why these referrals were closed before treatment began from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (or the nearest possible date).

Our response

NHS Kernow does not hold the information requested. Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are the CAMHS service providers. Please contact Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to request this information.

Request received

1. Broken down by reasons for CAMHS referral*, the percentage of cases closed before treatment.
2. Broken down by reasons for CAMHS referral*, the average wait time for treatment to begin following referral.
3. The top 10 longest waits for treatment in CAMHS, including how long they’ve waited and reason for referral.

* Examples of reasons for referrals (not exclusive):

• anxiety
• attention behaviour pathway
• autism
• depression
• eating disorders
• obsessive compulsive disorder
• body dysmorphic disorder
• PTSD
• psychosis
• self harm
• disorders inclusive of Tourette’s

Our response

NHS Kernow does not hold the information requested. Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are the CAMHS service providers. Please contact Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to request this information.

Request received

I would like to request the following information regarding inpatient mental health hospital beds, nursing care homes, residential care homes (without nursing) and supported living.

1. Please provide the total number of adults with a primary diagnosis of mental health funded during the financial year 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 (budgeted).
2. Please provide the gross total expenditure on adults with a primary diagnosis of mental health funded during the financial year 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 (budgeted).
3. Please provide the current average weekly expenditure per individual for adults with a primary diagnosis of mental health funded.
4. Please provide the total number of adults with a primary diagnosis of neurological need funded during the financial year 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 (budgeted).
5. Please provide the gross total expenditure on adults with a primary diagnosis of neurological need funded during the financial year 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 (budgeted).
6. Please provide the current average weekly expenditure per individual for adults with a primary diagnosis of neurological need.

Our response

Total number of adults with a primary diagnosis of mental health:

• inpatient mental health hospital beds for 2018/19: 28; 2019/20: 15; 2020/21: 20; 2021/22: 13
• nursing care homes for 2018/19: 673; 2019/20: 749; 2020/21: 884 and 2021/22: 379
• residential care homes (without nursing): 2018/19 59; 2019/20 61; 2020/21 65 and 2021/22 23
• supported living: 2018/19 19; 2019/20 24; 2020/21 37 and 2021/22 27

Total expenditure on adults with a primary diagnosis of mental health:

• inpatient mental health hospital beds for 2018/19: £2,295,083; 2019/20: £1,670,249; 2020/21: £1,809,903 and 2021/22: £293,003
• nursing care homes for 2018/19: £10,529,089; 2019/20: £10,634,544; 2020/21: £14,962,405 and 2021/22: £9,919,787
• residential care homes (without nursing) for 2018/19: £1,421,624; 2019/20: £1,339,335; 2020/21: £1,829,011 and 2021/22: £998,565
• supported living for 2018/19: £1,460,063; 2019/20: £1,592,186; 2020/21: £1,774,402 and 2021/22: 2,348,142

Current average weekly expenditure per individual for adults with a primary diagnosis of mental health:

• inpatient mental health hospital beds: £3,495
• nursing care homes: £1,363 (not including FNC packages)
• residential care homes (without nursing): £1,085
• supported living: £1,743

For questions 4 to 6, NHS Kernow is unable to answer these questions our system does not collate the data as requested.

Request received

For questions 2 through 7, please supply the following information for the financial years 2018 to 2019 to 2020 to 2021, and budgeted information for 2021 to 2022.

1. Please could you supply the name, email address and telephone number of the commissioner with responsibility for placements in locked rehabilitation.
2. Please provide the total number of adults funded by the CCG in locked rehabilitation.
3. Of the total number, please provide the number that are male and the number that are female.
4. Of the total number, please provide the number that were detained under the Mental Health Act and the number that were admitted on an informal basis.
5. Of the total number, please provide the number that were placed in area and the number that were placed out of area.
6. Of the total number, please provide the number that were placed in NHS provision and the number that were placed in independent provision.
7. Of the total number, please provide the number presenting with a learning disability, a mental illness, an acquired brain injury, a neurological condition, or a personality disorder.
8. Please provide the CCG’s total expenditure on locked rehabilitation placements for the financial years 2018/19 to 2020/21, and budgeted information for 2021/22. If expenditure for 2017/18 is not yet available, please provide projected expenditure.

Our response

The answers to questions 1 to 8 were provided in a spreadsheet. Please email our FOI team to request a copy.

For some of the questions, we confirm that NHS Kernow holds the information. Where the numbers are less than 5 and included within other answers the information cannot be disclosed. It could potentially identify the individuals involved. Especially if combined with other data, this would constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act 2018. Therefore, this information is exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the grounds that it is personal information.

Request received

For the most recent year for which you have data please provide a breakdown of:

1. Number of adult ADHD assessments undertaken.
2. Number of adult ADHD assessments redirected by patients under a patient’s right to choose.
3. A list of the right to choose providers used.
4. The number of adult ADHD assessments undertaken by each right to choose provider.
5. Inform us if the organisation(s) subcontracts any adult ADHD assessments. If yes, the names of those subcontractor organisations, and the numerical quantity of adult ADHD assessments undertaken by each subcontractor organisation.

Our response

1. Please note NHS Kernow does not hold the information requested, for more information please contact Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
2. 13 during the financial year 2020 to 2021.
3. Psychiatry UK.
4. 13 from 1 September 2020 to 31 March 2021.

Request received

Please provide total deaths (all causes) in hospital broken down by:

1. Years: 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21.
2. Age band: 0 to 4 years old, 5 to 14, 15 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, 65 to 74, 75 to 84, 85+.
3. Months: each month’s total for April to March.

Our response

For question 1, the total is 17,362. Broken down as follows:

• 2013/14: 2,084
• 2014/15: 2,213
• 2016/17: 2,339
• 2017/18: 2,283
• 2019/20: 2,384
• 2020/21: 2,170

For question 2:

• 0 to 4: 11
• 5 to 14: less than 5*
• 15 to 25: 26
• 25 to 34: 67
• 35 to 44: 107
• 45 to 54: 353
• 55 to 64: 1,031
• 65 to 74: 2,859
• 75 to 84: 5,530
• 85+: 7,277
• Null: 100

* NHS Kernow holds the information but where numbers are less than 5, the information cannot be disclosed. It could potentially identify the individuals involved. Especially if combined with other data, this would constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act 2018. Therefore, this information is exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the grounds that it is personal information.

For question 3:

• April: 2013/14 201; 2014/15 184; 2015/16 180; 2016/17 199; 2017/18 184; 2018/19 154; 2019/20 187; 2020/21 167
• May: 2013/14 186; 2014/15 178; 2015/16 185; 2016/17 198; 2017/18 190; 2018/19 176; 2019/20 182; 2020/21 142
• June: 2013/14 166; 2014/15 133; 2015/16 166; 2016/17 170; 2017/18 168; 2018/19 186; 2019/20 135; 2020/21 119
• July: 2013/14 155; 2014/15 147; 2015/16 198; 2016/17 192; 2017/18 169; 2018/19 142; 2019/20 151; 2020/21 139
• August: 2013/14 176; 2014/15 156; 2015/16 174; 2016/17 171; 2017/18 176; 2018/19 159; 2019/20 149; 2020/21 143
• September: 2013/14 147; 2014/15 140; 2015/16 180; 2016/17 159; 2017/18 169; 2018/19 160; 2019/20 146; 2020/21 123
• October: 2013/14 177; 2014/15 163; 2015/16 191; 2016/17 193; 2017/18 187; 2018/19 195; 2019/20 177; 2020/21 167
• November: 2013/14 183; 2014/15 191; 2015/16 202; 2016/17 185; 2017/18 173; 2018/19 190; 2019/20 182; 2020/21 180
• December: 2013/14 161 ; 2014/15 251; 2015/16 212; 2016/17 212; 2017/18 272; 2018/19 200; 2019/20 222; 2020/21 198
• January: 2013/14 196 ; 2014/15 253; 2015/16 199; 2016/17 222; 2017/18 262; 2018/19 219; 2019/20 229; 2020/21 260
• February: 2013/14 172; 2014/15 227; 2015/16 209; 2016/17 196; 2017/18 212; 2018/19 181; 2019/20 154; 2020/21 125
• March: 2013/14 164; 2014/15 190; 2015/16 243; 2016/17 186; 2017/18 222; 2018/19 208; 2019/20 212; 2020/21 167

Request received

Please could you tell me:

1. All APMS practices that existed in 2013/14, including the name of the contract provider.
2. Any new APMS practices since 2013/14, up until and including 2020/21, including the name of the contract provider.
3. Any change in provider of the APMS contracts since 2013/14 in relation to the two questions above – and the names of the new providers.

Our response

1. Practice: St Mary’s Health Centre, Isles of Scilly. Contractor: Helston Medical Centre.
2. Practice: Mevagissey Surgery. Contractor: St Austell Health Care.
3. None.

Request received

How many GP practices in your CCG area are owned by private companies?

Please state:

1. Name of the practice.
2. Who is it run by.
3. When it was taken over by this company.
4. How much money it was sold for.
5. Please say if this was done after public consultation or not.

Our response

No GP surgeries are owned by private limited companies; but one fixed term contract for GP services is currently delivered by a limited company.

1. Mevagissey Surgery.
2. St Austell Healthcare.
3. The contract for services commenced 14 September 2020.
4. The surgery has not been sold to St Austell Healthcare, it is a contract for services.
5. This went through the public sector for health procurement process.

Request received

1. Which organisation is the incumbent provider of the non-emergency patient transport service for NHS Kernow?
2. When did this contract to provide non-emergency patient transport commence?
3. When is this contract to provide non-emergency patient transport due to expire?
4. Is there an optional extension period for this contract, and if so how long?
5. What is the annual contract value?
6. Is this contract commissioned by NHS Kernow in isolation or is it commissioned across multiple CCGs? If this is commissioned jointly, which CCG is the lead commissioning authority?

Our response

The service is commissioned by NHS Kernow. Information relating to non-emergency patient transport was previously released in November 2020 and the response published and on our website.

Request received

We would be interested to receive details of NHS spend on occupational health and wellbeing between 2015 and 2019 and then 2020.

Our response

Between 2015 and 2019: £98,051.79. In 2020: £12,913.30.

Request received

1. Please provide the following details of any and all gifts and/or hospitality provided by the cybersecurity company Darktrace. Also known as Darktrace Limited, Darktrace Holdings and Darktrace Plc.
   • monetary value
   • description
   • date
   • unit, office or department in which the recipients of the gifts and hospitality worked
   • whether the gifts and hospitality were accepted, rejected, or otherwise donated
2. Please provide this information for any gifts and hospitality received from June 2013 onwards inclusive in the form of an itemised list for each instance of a gift and/or hospitality.
3. Please also disclose whether you were using Darktrace’s services in May 2017.

Our response

None. NHS Kernow has never used Darktrace services.

Request received

1. The amount during each calendar year for the last 5 years your trust has lost to fraud and scams. This would include the year to date as one of those 5 years.
2. For each fraud or scam of more than £500 the nature of the fraud or scam, particularly the date the money was lost, how much was lost, how the money was lost and the precise methodology the scammers used, what efforts were made to reclaim the lost funds, how successful those efforts were and Who the perpetrator was, if that is known.

Our response

None.

Request received

1. How many NHS prescriptions for Sativex have been issued within your CCG each month since September 2019 to the latest available date? Please specify, if possible, whether the data reflects community dispensed/primary care prescriptions, secondary care prescriptions, or both.
2. How many unique patients have been issued an NHS prescription within your CCG each month since September 2019 to the latest available date?
3. Is Sativex is currently on your formulary?
4. Do you have a shared care agreement (or shared care guidance) between primary and specialist care in place to support prescribing of Sativex?

Our response

1. NHS Kernow does not hold this information. NHSBSA hold the data, which we access. It is publicly available on the Open Prescribing website and can be accessed via GP prescribing data.
2. As number 1.
3. Yes, the Cornwall Joint Formulary.
4. Yes. Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Sativex shared care agreement.

Request received

1. Please could you let me know whether you have changed the referral guidelines at any point since March 2020 for orthopaedic, cataract and hernia procedures.
2. If yes to question 1, please could you provide more details of the specific changes and if possible, attach the latest guidance.
3. Please could you let me know if you have any plans to change the referral guidelines at any point over the next 12 months.
4. If yes to question 3, please provide further details.

Our response

NHS Kernow exempts the release of the information requested under section 21 of the act. The information requested is reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means. The RMS website holds the current referral guidelines for all these procedures, including the dates of last and next review.

Request received

Please send me the following information from your NHS standard contract for termination of pregnancy.

1. What is the current contract end date?
2. When did your organisation (or predecessor organisation) last tender (put out to procurement) its termination of pregnancy (abortion) services?
3. If the contract for these services has been renewed without re-tendering, how many times has it been renewed, and when was the last time?
4. Are there any plans currently under development or in place to tender for this service? Please supply minutes and notes of any relevant meetings or decision-making processes or policies.
5. How do you envisage Integrated Care Systems affecting how you commission termination of pregnancy services?
6. How much do you currently pay for Termination of Pregnancy procedures?
7. Who is the current provider/s for termination of pregnancy services?
8. What is the current annual contract value?
9. Who is the current commissioning manager (name and email address)?

Our response

1. 31 March 2024 with option to extend by 2 years.
2. September 2020 with new service start date 1 April 2021.
3. Re-tendered as per response to question 2.
4. No, re-tendered as per response to question 2.
5. An impact assessment of integrated care systems on individual commissioned services has not been undertaken as yet.
6. EMA (0 to 10 week): £310; Surgical (up to 14+6 weeks) £395; surgical (15 to 18+6 weeks) £675 and surgical (19 to 23+6 weeks) £1,500
7. MSI Reproductive Choices.
8. Cost per case so dependent on activity levels, but expected annual contract value approximately £120,000.
9. NHS Kernow does not release the names of employees below director level. The director responsible is John Groom, director for planned care and integrated care.

Request received

Please clarify whether NHS Kernow funds procedures using donor sperm for female same-sex couples and the cost of the donor sperm itself to be used in those procedures.

Our response

If a female same-sex couple has a diagnosed fertility problem on investigation then their sub-fertility will be treated, but NHS funding will not be available for donor sperm. This is on the basis that unless they are medically sub-fertile their childlessness is due to the absence of gametes of the opposite sex and not due to both a medical cause and related healthcare need.

The cost would be by agreement with provider.