Miscellaneous Questions - FOI Response Register

Please provide the following information, treating each as a separate FOI request:

We will process this as a single request for administrative ease but look at any potential excessive cost exemption from the frame of each individual question.

1.         Total population that lives within your health board area.

In accordance with FOISA s 16(1), NHS Shetland confirms that it holds the information requested but that it is exempt from disclosure under FOISA s 25(1) as the information requested is accessible without submitting a request under FOISA s 1(1). The information you have requested is available here:

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates/population-estimates-time-series-data

2.         Total number of unique patients treated (‘treatment’ including any kind of in-person appointment or healthcare) by your health board annually since 2010.

NHS Shetland records patient treatment figures on a per treatment basis ie the number of inpatient admissions, outpatient appointments etc as opposed to number of unique patients treated within a year. Therefore in accordance with FOISA s 17(1), NHS Shetland confirms that it does not hold the information requested.

Additionally over such a large dataset a high number of records are missing CHIs and only have TNs (Temporary Numbers) recorded. These would require substantial manual checking to determine if the record represented a unique patient

3.         Total number of appointments made (for medical services like GP appointments to the general public, not including intra-organisational work meeting appointments here for example) in your health board annually since 2010.

With regards to primary care appointments which would include GP appointments then in accordance with FOISA s 17(1), NHS Shetland confirms that it does not hold the information requested.

With regards to secondary care appointments and did not attends (DNAs) ie appointments missed by the patient then in accordance with FOISA s 16(1), NHS Shetland confirms that it holds the information requested but that it is exempt from disclosure under FOISA s 25(1) as the information requested is accessible without submitting a request under FOISA s 1(1). The information you have requested is available here:

Data from 2020 and onwards. Within: Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (quarterly)

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/

Data from before 2020. Within: Acute Hospital Activity and NHS Beds Information

https://www.isdscotland.org/Publications/index.asp

With regards to Secondary Care 2023 Q3 data which will be published at the above address then in accordance with FOISA s 16(1), NHS Shetland confirms that it holds the information requested but that it is exempt from disclosure under FOISA s 27(1) as the information is already intended for publication within twelve weeks of when your request was made.

4.         Total number of appointments missed by the patient in your health board annually since 2010.

See response to Q3

5.         Annual total expenditure of your health board from 2010 to present date.

6.         Annual expenditure of your health board from 2010 to present date, broken down by each of:

a.         Type of expense (e.g. Medical staffing cost, building costs, energy costs, pharmaceutical procurement costs, clerical/managerial staffing cost etc.)

b.         Location of expense

c.         Purpose of expense

d.         Any other spending groupings/categories used by your health board. Please list what these are.

7.         Annual expenditure of your health board from 2010 to present date on:

a.         Regular time pay on

i.          Medical staff

ii.         Non-medical staff

b.         Overtime pay on

i.          Medical staff

ii.         Non-medical staff

c.         Procurement of medicines

d.         Procurement of medical devices (e.g. surgical tools, MRI machines etc.)

e.         Procurement of non-medical equipment (inc. furniture and fittings)

f.          Building works, and a breakdown of spending on the following relating to buildings:

i.          Construction

ii.         Maintenance

iii.        Refurbishment

iv.        Other (please provide description of what this is)

g.         External consultants/consulting firms. Please break down what kinds of consulting services this spending was on. (I mean consultants as the term is employed in ‘management consultants’, not as the term is employed to mean a senior doctor.

Current information for Q5, 6 and 7 available here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-health-service-costs/scottish-health-service-costs-high-level-costs-summary-2021-to-2022/

Archive to 31 March 2010 here: https://www.isdscotland.org/health-opics/finance/costs/costs-archive.asp

NHS Shetland Annual Accounts – NHS Shetland

8.         Total size, in £s, of the current maintenance backlog in your health board.

9.         A breakdown of the current maintenance backlog in your health board by the kind of thing that is being/needs to be maintained.

When I refer to ‘year’ here I mean calendar year, not financial year. However, if you cannot provide information by calendar year, information by financial year is acceptable. If you do provide information by financial year, please specify the exact dates that make up your financial year. For the current year, please provide information up to present date or most recent date you have information for.

The information required to answer Q8 and 9 is held by the Scottish Government.