Bus Vannin - patient transfer contract with DHSC

Summary

The requester asked for detailed capital and revenue costs associated with Bus Vannin's non-emergency patient transfer contract with the Department of Health and Social Security. The Department of Infrastructure responded that specific cost breakdowns were not held because no new capital expenditure was incurred and the service was in its early stages of operation.

Key Facts

• No new capital expenditure was made on mini buses for the patient transfer contract.
• The Government's mini bus fleet of 66 vehicles was transferred to Bus Vannin from various departments.
• The current mini bus fleet stands at 64 vehicles subject to an annual renewal programme.
• The service was operating from only 2 postcode areas at the time of the response.
• Costs are limited to driver time, fuel, and mileage as the work fits into existing vehicle schedules.

Data Disclosed

• 66 vehicles
• 64 vehicles
• £32 per passenger
• £125,000 annual budget
• 2 postcode areas
• 31 August 2018
• 572537

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held

Original Request

Please detail the increased capital costs attributable to taking on the patient transfer contract with the Department of Health and Social Security (gross and net cost to DoI/Bus Vannin, number of capital items purchased and cost per item). Please detail the increased revenue costs attributable to taking on the patient transfer contract with the Department of Health and Social Security. clarify that you are referring only to the transfer on non-emergency patients to the airport for hospital appointments in the UK (emergency transfers are not dealt with by this Department). That is correct.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team Telephone: (01624) 686785

Our ref: 572537 31 August 2018

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 31 August 2018 and which states:

1. Please detail the increased capital costs attributable to taking on the patient transfer contract with the Department of Health and Social Security (gross and net cost to DoI/Bus Vannin, number of capital items purchased and cost per item).
2. Please detail the increased revenue costs attributable to taking on the patient transfer contract with the Department of Health and Social Security. You clarified that that is in relation to the transfer of non-emergency patients to the airport for hospital appointments in the UK (emergency transfers are not dealt with by this Department).

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the information that you have requested.

1. There has been no capital expenditure on new mini buses to bring the patient transfer contract into Bus Vannin Connect. The Government’s mini bus fleet of 66 vehicles has been transferred to Bus Vannin from various other Government Departments including DHSS, DOE, DHA. The mini bus fleet currently stands at 64 and is subject to an annual renewal programme based on age and mileage. The timing of the journeys to and from the airport allows this work to fit in around existing requirements, particularly for DHSS and DOE.
2. At the present time we have only been operating to the airport from 2 post code areas for the past couple of weeks and therefore we are unable to give a full answer, because all of this work fits in existing vehicles the costs will only be the drivers time, fuel and miles. The current average cost, we understand from Health, is £32 per passenger with an annual budget of £125,000 and since we are consolidating numbers onto minibuses we expect to save money.

Enter the reason why the information requested is not held

Please quote the reference number 572537 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely