FOI 2025/1531

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

This request relates to the programme known as “Reach Out; START to End Suicide” delivered in Salford through START, and any predecessor or successor arrangements funded, commissioned, or overseen by your organisation.

Please provide the following information:

1. Business Cases
   Copies of all business cases, funding proposals, or approval papers relating to the Reach Out; START to End Suicide project from its inception to the present, including but not limited to:
   • The original Salford CCG business case written and approved in or around 2019
   • Any revised, updated, or supplementary business cases
   • Any internal appraisal, review, or decision papers linked to those business cases
2. Contracts and Funding Agreements
   Copies of all contracts, service level agreements, grant agreements, or commissioning documents between:
   • Salford CCG and START
   • NHS Greater Manchester ICB (or predecessor bodies) and START
     relating to the Reach Out; START to End Suicide programme.
3. Financial Information
   For each financial year the programme has operated, please provide:
   • The total funding allocated and paid
   • Any breakdowns of “full cost recovery” calculations
   • Any correspondence or documents referencing funding shortfalls, cost pressures, or financial risks associated with the programme
4. Staffing and Pay Information
   For roles funded wholly or partly through the Reach Out; START to End Suicide project, please provide:
   • Job titles and role descriptions
   • The pay framework stated in the business case or contract (including any reference to NHS Agenda for Change)
   • Pay bands or salary ranges associated with each role
   • Confirmation of whether National Insurance and pension costs were included in staff cost calculations
   • Any documents showing how staff costs were calculated or justified
5. Pay Alignment and Contractual Assumptions
   Any documents, correspondence, or internal guidance that explain:
   • Whether roles under the project were intended to align with NHS Agenda for Change
   • Any decision to depart from that framework
   • Any discussions or approvals relating to pay structure changes over time
6. Governance and Oversight
   Any monitoring reports, assurance papers, or governance documents submitted to or held by your organisation relating to:
   • Compliance with the approved business case
   • Delivery of the programme against agreed terms
   • Staffing and pay arrangements under the project

If any part of this request is considered exempt, please:

• Specify which exemption is being relied upon, and
• Provide any information that can be disclosed within the scope of the Act.

If clarification is required to process this request, please contact me as soon as possible. Otherwise, I look forward to your response within the statutory 20 working days.

1. Please find proposal to Salford Clinical Commissioning Group’s Service & Finance Group from 2019 attached

Please note the names of individuals have been removed from the document, this information is exempt from disclosure under section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as it constitutes personal data where disclosure would be in breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.

As section 40 (2) is an absolute exemption there is no duty to consider disclosure in the public interest. They are set out in Part II of the Freedom of Information Act 2000

2. NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM) are unable to provide copies of full NHS contracts in response to this request. This is because the contract requested contains information that is commercially sensitive and confidential to both NHS GM and the provider concerned.

As such, the information is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2) (commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, parts of the contract contain information provided in confidence, the disclosure of which would constitute an actionable breach of confidence and are therefore exempt under section 41(1)(a)(b) of the Act.

This exemption applies to information which has been provided in confidence. The Act requires that:

• The information must be obtained by the public authority from another person (outside of NHS GM) and.

• Disclosure of the information to the public would constitute a breach of confidence, actionable by that person.

The conditions for an actionable breach of confidence to be established would require that the information has a ‘quality’ of confidence (i.e. it is confidential in nature and not widely known) and that it has been imparted in circumstances that suggest there is a ‘obligation’ of confidence upon the receiver, or an expectation given to the provider of that information that it would be treated as confidential.

Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 states:

“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)”.

Factors favouring disclosure.

There is an inherent public interest in ensuring that there is openness and transparency in the spending of public money. Transparency is likely to increase confidence in procurement processes and the purchasing decisions made by NHS GM. It also enables the public to understand whether NHS GM is getting value for money from its purchasing decisions.

Factors favouring non-disclosure.

However, we believe that disclosure of the contract could prejudice the current or future negotiating capabilities of NHS GM. This information includes, but is not limited to, detailed pricing mechanisms, activity assumptions, service delivery models, and operational schedules. Disclosure of this information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the providers and the negotiating capabilities of NHS GM, particularly in relation to future commissioning, negotiation and value-for-money considerations.

Balancing Test.

After considering the arguments outlined above, we have decided to withhold this information.

While we recognise the importance of transparency in relation to NHS commissioning arrangements, this is met through the publication of the contract register and summary details rather than the disclosure of full contractual documents.

To support transparency, the following information is available on our contract register (which is available via the NHS GM publication scheme “lists and registers” on our website).

• The name of the provider
• The service area or specialty commissioned
• The contract start and end dates
• The Contract Value
• Confirmation that the contract is based on the NHS Standard Contract

In line with section 16 of the FOI Act please find below a link to the register to assist you.

nhsgm-conreg-feb-25-final.pdf

Terms and Conditions will be the NHS Standard Contract and that is available on line: NHS England » Shorter-form NHS Standard Contract 2025/26 (Particulars, Service Conditions, General Conditions)

Please find the service specification for Reach Out taken from the 2025/2026 contract between NHS GM and Start In Salford attached.

** A PDF document was sent to the requester with this response.  Unfortunately, we are unable to add these onto the website.  If you require a copy of the full response, together with the PDF documents, please contact the FOI team directly on nhsgm.foi@nhs.net

3. Financial Information

2025/26 £31,279

2024/25 £30,621

2023/24 £29,556

2022/23 £27,601

2021/22 £27,254

2020/21 £27,200

4. – 6. NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM) do not hold the level of information being requested in relation to individual posts. Therefore, it will be necessary for you to contact Start in Salford directly for the information you seek. In line with section 16 of the Freedom of Information act please find a link below to their website to assist you.

Contact | Start Inspiring Minds