FOI 2026/1776

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information relating to NHS-funded Right to Choose ADHD and autism assessments for children and young people provided by Clinical Partners for patients registered with NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.

Please provide information for the period 1 March 2025 to the date of this request.

1. The total amount of funding paid by NHS Greater Manchester ICB to Clinical Partners for Right to Choose ADHD and autism assessment services for children and young people.
2. The number of children and young people referred by NHS Greater Manchester to Clinical Partners for Right to Choose ADHD and autism assessments.
3. The number of assessments completed by Clinical Partners for NHS Greater Manchester patients.
4. The number of NHS Greater Manchester patients currently waiting for assessment with Clinical Partners.
5. Any contractual or service specification documents that set out expected waiting times or activity levels or these services.
6. Any performance reports, monitoring reports, or audit reports held by NHS Greater Manchester ICB relating to Clinical Partners’ delivery of these services.
7. Any correspondence or briefing documents held by NHS Greater Manchester ICB from 1 March 2025 onwards relating to:

• Funding limits or pauses affecting Clinical Partners.
• Delays to appointments.
• Waiting list management for ADHD and autism assessments.

If any of the requested information is exempt from disclosure, please provide the remaining information and explain the basis for any exemption relied upon.

1. NHS Greater Manchester ICB holds information relating to funding paid to Clinical Partners for Right to Choose ADHD and autism assessment services for children and young people. However, this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, on the basis that the requested information is already available to the applicant.

NHS GM publishes a report on a monthly basis detailing the spend with suppliers over £25k within that given month. As such, details of the amount of funding paid to Clinical Partners Limited is already available to the applicant. These reports are published on the ICB’s website at NHS Greater Manchester Reports | Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership in the spending reports section. These are uploaded on a monthly basis, shortly following the end of the previous month.

2. NHS Greater Manchester ICB does not hold a centrally collated record of the number of children and young people referred to Clinical Partners for Right to Choose ADHD and autism assessments.
3. NHS Greater Manchester ICB holds information relating to the number of assessments completed by Clinical Partners for NHS Greater Manchester patients. However, this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, relating to commercial interests.

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)”.

Disclosure of this information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of both the provider and NHS GM by revealing commercially sensitive pricing and funding arrangements within a competitive healthcare market.

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.

Disclosure of this information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of both the provider and NHS Greater Manchester ICB by revealing commercially sensitive operational activity levels and contractual arrangements within a competitive healthcare market.

Balancing Test.

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

NHS GM considers that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure, as releasing the information could weaken the ICB’s ability to secure best value in future commissioning and procurement activity.

4. NHS GM does not hold information relating to the number of NHS Greater Manchester patients currently waiting for assessment with Clinical Partners. Information relating to provider waiting lists and waiting times would be held by Clinical Partners directly.
5. These services are delivered under non-contract activity arrangements managed through the host ICB model. NHS Greater Manchester ICB does not directly monitor provider waiting times for these services and does not hold contractual or service specification documents setting out expected waiting times or activity levels specific to Clinical Partners.
6. NHS Greater Manchester ICB holds activity and monitoring information relating to Clinical Partners’ delivery of these services. However, this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, relating to commercial interests.

Therefore, this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please refer to the response to questions 3 relating to commercial interests.

7. NHS Greater Manchester ICB holds correspondence and briefing information relating to funding arrangements, activity management, and service delivery for these services. However, this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, relating to commercial interests.

Therefore, this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please refer to the response to questions 3 relating to commercial interests.