Scottish Government funding to NHS Boards to contract external companies: FOI release

Information requested

1. Which Boards have received additional funds to contract external consultancy support in 2023/24 and 2024/25.

2. The level of funds in each case.

3. All correspondence between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards about bringing on consultancies / external companies to support them with their finances.

Response

1. In the financial year 2023/24, NHS Dumfries and Galloway and NHS Orkney received additional funds to contract external consultancy support.

In the financial year 2024/25, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway and NHS Orkney received additional funds to contract external consultancy support.

There is a fourth Board that is currently receiving financial support but, whilst our aim is to provide information whenever possible, this project is currently live and releasing this information would substantially prejudice the organisations in question. We have therefore applied exemption 33(1)(b) –(Substantial prejudice to commercial interests) of FOISA to this information.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.

We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and that there is likely interest in the funding being provided to NHS Boards to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in the success of the project at this stage.

2. The funds each of the above Boards received can be seen in the table below:

Board	2023/24 Financial Support	2024/25 YTD Financial Support*
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	NIL	£65,700
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	£44,828	£180,172
NHS Orkney	£262,200	£267,187

*as at 20th September 2024

3. Your third request relates to correspondence between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards about bringing on consultancies / external companies to support them with their finances. Although we understand that there is interest in the details within this correspondence, and while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, this correspondence relates to ongoing and live projects, and releasing this would substantially prejudice the organisations in question. We have therefore applied exemption 33(1)(b) – (Substantial prejudice to commercial interest) of FOISA applies to this information.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.

We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and that there is likely interest in the funding being provided to NHS Boards to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in the success of the project at this stage.

About FOI

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