Scottish Government and NHS Lothian and/or NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding the new NHS East and NHS West structure: FOI release

Information requested

• The dates of any meetings held between the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian and/or NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding the new NHS East and NHS West structure since 1 January 2025.
• Any minutes of these meetings.
• Briefings from these meetings prepared for Scottish Government Ministers.
• Who attended these meetings.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested.

Dates of Meetings

Following searches of our records, I can confirm that the Chief Operating Officer/Deputy Chief Executive NHS Scotland holds routine meetings with the Chief Executives of NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. These discussions cover a range of matters related to the delivery of the Health and Social Care

Service Renewal Framework, including sub-national planning. They are not convened as meetings for the purpose of sub-national planning, are not minuted.

The first meeting of the Sub-National Planning Oversight Group was held on 16 December 2025. This meeting was chaired by the DG Health and Social Care/Chief Executive NHS Scotland and attendees are listed in the Annex.

We are withholding the draft minutes under section 30(b)(ii) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, as disclosure of unapproved minutes would be likely to inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views in future meetings and could give a misleading impression of agreed positions. This exemption is subject to the Public Interest Test and this is explained below.

Briefings for Scottish Ministers

Three briefings relating to sub-national planning are held. These were informed by a range of stakeholder input and legal advice and were not prepared as outputs of the informal catch-up discussions referred to above.

The briefings are withheld under section 29(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (formulation and development of government policy) and section 30(b)(i) and (ii) (free and frank provision of advice and free and frank exchange of views). Both exemptions are subject to the public interest test.

Public Interest Test

We have considered the public interest in disclosing the withheld information. We recognise that there is a general public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent, and accountable government. However, consistent with the approach taken by the Scottish Information Commissioner, we consider that there is a stronger public interest in allowing officials and Ministers to have a private space within which to develop policy options and provide full, frank, and candid advice and exchange views before reaching a settled public position. Disclosure at this stage would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank provision of advice and exchange of views and thereby undermine effective policy development and decision-making, which would not be in the public interest.

Information Not Held

Where information is described above as not held, this is confirmed under section 17(1) of 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 202500497219 - Information Released - Annex

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