Summit of health and social care leaders information: FOI release

Information requested

With regard to the summit of health and social care leaders held at Bute House on Monday, 3 February 2025, chaired by the First Minister, I request:

1. Any minutes, notes, or official records taken during the meeting, including direct or paraphrased comments made by the First Minister, particularly any reference to having an “electoral problem” with the state of NHS Scotland.

2. Copies of any presentations, briefing papers, or documents provided to attendees before, during, or after the meeting.

3. A list of all attendees, including the organisations they represented.

4. Any internal correspondence (emails, memos, text messages, etc.) involving Scottish Government Ministers or staff regarding the meeting and its objectives.

5. Details of any actions or decisions agreed upon at the summit to implement the recently announced NHS recovery plan.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in the attached word documents as follows:

1. A summary note of the meeting is provided at Item 1. It does not contain reference to 'having an “electoral problem” with the state of NHS Scotland’.

2. Briefing papers provided to meeting attendees that have been redacted (see further details on redactions below), are provided at Items 2 and 3.

3. A list of attendees to the meeting, including the organisations they represented, can be found within Item 1.

4. Internal correspondence is provided within the document attached entitled ‘Emails Redacted’.

5. In relation to ‘details of any actions or decisions agreed upon at the summit to implement the recently announced NHS recovery plan’ please refer to the summary note provided in Item 1 which refers to the NHS plan set out on 27 January 2025 by the First Minister.

Please note that some of the information you have requested is available online at the following websites – Royal College of Nursing [www.rcn.org.uk] and Public Health Scotland [https://publichealthscotland.scot].

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

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 an exemption under section 30(b)(i) applies to some of the information. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. This exemption recognises the need for Ministers and officials to have a private space within which to discuss and explore options before the Scottish Government reaches a settled public view. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’.

Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances, 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 to inform public debate. However, premature disclosure is likely to undermine the full and frank discussion of issues between Ministers and officials, which would not be in the public interest.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b)of FOISA applies to some the information you have requested as the emails that have been provided contain personal information. Section 38 of FOISA sets out when personal information is exempt from disclosure under FOISA. As such, the Scottish Government withholds names (and other personal information) from documents released in response to an FOI request if those names are exempt from disclosure under the provisions set out in FOISA.

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.

FOI 202500452061 - Information released - Annex

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