Chief Executive of NHS Scotland WhatsApp messages during the COVID-19 pandemic: FOI release

Information requested

Request for the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland Caroline Lamb What's App messages during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you have requested.

The Scottish Government holds a copy of a WhatsApp conversation between Caroline Lamb and Humza Yousaf dating from 2021 during Mr Yousaf’s time as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. The SG also holds a copy of a WhatsApp conversation between Caroline Lamb and Paul Johnston, predominantly dating from Mr Johnston’s time as Director-General for Communities, and a copy of a conversation between Caroline Lamb and Leslie Evans, then Permanent Secretary.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under sections 25(1), 28(1), 30(b), 36(1), 37(1)(b) and 38(1)(b) of FOISA apply to that information. Further explanations of these exemptions are provided in the attached annex.

I should note that the copies of these messages held by the Scottish Government comprise text only and do not include other media such as images. The copies held also include existing redactions of sensitive personal data, marked in black.

Ms Lamb was also a member of an additional WhatsApp group chat with officials, extracts of which have been published by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (UKI). The Scottish Government has been supplied with a reference copy of this group conversation in confidence by the UKI as a core participant of the public inquiry. Please note that this material is subject to the UKI’s general restriction order of 23 February 2024. We are unable to provide this information because an exemption under section 37(1)(b) (ii) of FOISA applies to documents created by a person conducting an inquiry or arbitration for the purposes of that inquiry or arbitration. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

In relation to the published extracts of the group conversation, under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. However, if you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the UKI website, please let us know and we can arrange to supply it in a different format.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202400422230 - Information Released - Annex A

File type

2 page PDF

File size

66.2 kB

FOI 202400422230 - Information Released - Annex B

File type

36 page PDF

File size

642.5 kB