Freedom of Information Request: 0136 2019/20
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) completed a merger by acquisition of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) on 1st April 2018. Due to historical differences in data collection/reporting across UHB and the former Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust this response has been provided by hospital site.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
- Are your linen and laundry services outsourced? If so, who by and from which site?
Outsourced to Elis Wendesbury for all UHB sites
- When does your contract with your existing linen service provider end?
31/12/22
- Is there an option to extend the current contract?
Yes
- Is the current linen and laundry service a bulk rental, fully managed or pack to ward service?
Bulk Rental
- What is the weekly volume of linen pieces required by your hospital/s (linen pieces including all items on linen hire and trust owned) average
107,000
- What is the annual spend on linen services broken down by – rental linen, Trust owned linen, onsite distribution team
Please see note 1.
- Who is the key contact for the linen contract at your hospital(s) (name, position and email address)?
John McElhoney – Operational Contracted Services Manager
john.mcelhoney@uhb.nhs.uk
Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospital
- Are your linen and laundry services outsourced? If so, who by and from which site?
Outsourced to Elis Coventry for all HGS sites
- When does your contract with your existing linen service provider end?
March 2020
- Is there an option to extend the current contract?
Yes
- Is the current linen and laundry service a bulk rental, fully managed or pack to ward service?
Fully Managed
- What is the weekly volume of linen pieces required by your hospital/s (linen pieces including all items on linen hire and trust owned)?
140, 998.
- What is the annual spend on linen services broken down by – rental linen, Trust owned linen, onsite distribution team?
Please see note 1.
- Who is the key contact for the linen contract at your hospital(s) (name, position and email address)?
Tony Cressey – Head of Facilities
tony.cressey@heartofengland.nhs.uk
Note 1
The Trust does hold the annual spend on linen services broken down by rental linen, Trust linen, and onsite distribution team. However, we are withholding this information, under exemption 43 (commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information Act: The Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).
The Trust considers the annual spend on linen services broken down by rental linen, Trust linen, and onsite distribution team is commercially sensitive in nature. This information could be used by competitors to gain a significant unfair advantage when products are put out to re-tender.
Section 43(2) is a qualified exemption and is subject to the public interest test. This means that not only does the information have to prejudice one of the purposes listed, but before the information can be withheld, the public interest in preventing that prejudice must outweigh the public interest in disclosure.
Public Interest Test
Considerations in favour of disclosure:
- The public need to know that we are spending public money wisely and getting best value, without fear or favour.
- The need for public authorities to be transparent in their dealings.
Considerations against disclosure:
- Disclosing this information would likely give the provider organisations competitors a significant unfair advantage during re-procurement of the products.
- It could weaken the Trust’s position as potential companies would not have confidence that the Trust would keep sensitive financial data private.
- This could prejudice the Trust’s ability to obtain best price and value.
- It could reduce pricing innovation in tendering parties’ bids when the service is put out for re-procurement.
- The inherent public interest in avoiding prejudice to the provider organisation and the Trust.
- Releasing the information in Schedule 3(a) would likely result in prejudice to the commercial interests of the provider organisation.
Conclusion:
The Trust recognises that there is a public interest in the disclosure of information which facilitates the accountability and transparency of public bodies for decisions taken by them. However, there is also a public interest in the Trust being able to work within competitive markets where that results in a financial or resource benefit which is put to the wider public interest. Having undertaken the balancing exercise, the Trust has concluded that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the requested information having regard to the effect that the disclosure of the information would not be in the public interest.
Given that the definition of ‘public’ under the Act is considered to be the public at large, rather than just the individual applicant or a small group of people and that ‘public interest’ is not necessarily the same as what interests the public, it is considered that to release this sensitive information into the public domain is likely to result in prejudice to the commercial interests of both the Trust and the supplier organisation which is not outweighed by the wider public interest for disclosure.
