Director for Social Care and National Care Service Development WhatsApp messages during Covid: FOI release

Information requested

The WhatsApp messages of Donna Bell, now Director of Social Care and National Care Service Development Directorate, during the Covid-19 pandemic, which for practical purposes we have interpreted as the period from 21 January 2020, the date on which the WHO published its ‘Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report’, to 30 April 2022, the date on which remaining Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in Scotland.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you have requested. 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 Scottish Government holds a brief one-on-one conversation between Donna Bell and Malcolm Wright, then Director-General Health and Social Care, plus a one-on-one conversation with Joe Griffin.

SG also holds copies of seven group discussions with colleagues in which Donna Bell was a participant. I have provided copies of these to supply some of the information you have requested. We have been unable to provide some of the information requested because exemptions under sections 30(b)(ii), 36(1), 37(1)(b) and 38(1)(b) of FOISA apply to that information (see annex for further detail).

It may be useful to note for context that Donna Bell gave an account of her WhatsApp usage in her Module 2A personal statement to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

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 202400425743 - Information Released - Annex

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114 page PDF

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3.9 MB