Internal Reference Number: FOI_9580
Date Request Received: 29/07/2026 00:00:00
Date Request Replied To: 21/08/2026 00:00:00
This response was sent via: By Email
Request Summary: Temporary Staffing Platform and Available Exports
Request Category: Private Individuals
| Question Number 1: I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information about the digital platform that SA国际传媒 uses for temporary medical and dental staffing. In this request: "Platform provider" means Locum's Nest Ltd, Patchwork Health, or another company that supplies a digital staff bank or temporary staffing platform. Please provide the following: 1. For each platform used for medical or dental temporary staffing at any time from 1 April 2023 to the date of this request: - the platform provider's legal name; - the product name; and - the dates of use. If the Trust receives this service through another NHS organisation, rather than buying it directly from the platform provider, please give the name of that organisation. | |
| Answer To Question 1: - the platform provider's legal name - Locum's Nest Ltd - the product name - Locum's Nest - the dates of use - Contract Dates: 01/04/2023 - 30/09/2027 | |
| Question Number 2: 2. The modules or products to which the Trust currently subscribes. For Locum's Nest, these may include Match, Community, Intelligence, Link, PassportPlus, or a collaborative bank service. | |
| Answer To Question 2: Intelligence Passport Plus Community Link Rota | |
| Question Number 3: Whether the Trust, or a predecessor organisation or site now operated by the Trust, is or has been a member of the Locum's Nest Digital Collaborative Bank. If so, please provide the joining date and, where applicable, the leaving date. The supplier's website, accessed on 28 July 2026, lists the organisation or its predecessor as a member: https://locumsnest.co.uk/the-digital-collaborative-bank | |
| Answer To Question 3: Yes. 10 May 2018 | |
| Question Number 4: The most recent document that lists the information fields that the Trust can view or download from the platform. For example, this could be a list of the column headings in a shift or rate export. | |
| Answer To Question 4: The Trust considers that the information requested is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The requested material contains detailed information regarding the functionality, data structures, reporting capabilities and/or configuration of a third-party supplier's proprietary digital platform. Disclosure would provide competitors with information about the supplier's product capabilities and design which is not otherwise available at this level of detail and which could be used to benchmark, replicate or adapt competing products and propositions. The Trust has consulted the supplier, Locum's Nest Ltd, which has confirmed that it considers this information commercially sensitive and that disclosure would be likely to prejudice its commercial interests by providing competitors with detailed insight into proprietary platform functionality and product differentiation without the corresponding investment in developing those capabilities. The Trust has considered the public interest test. It recognises the public interest in transparency regarding the systems used by NHS organisations and the capabilities obtained through public expenditure. The Trust has disclosed information about the identity of the supplier and the products/modules in use. However, it considers that there is a stronger public interest in avoiding the disclosure of detailed proprietary product information where doing so would be likely to damage the supplier's ability to compete fairly in the market. Accordingly, the Trust considers that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure, and the requested information is withheld under section 43(2). | |
| Question Number 5: The latest document held by the Trust that lists the standard reports, dashboards, or data exports available through the platform | |
| Answer To Question 5: The Trust considers that the information requested is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The requested material contains detailed information regarding the functionality, data structures, reporting capabilities and/or configuration of a third-party supplier's proprietary digital platform. Disclosure would provide competitors with information about the supplier's product capabilities and design which is not otherwise available at this level of detail and which could be used to benchmark, replicate or adapt competing products and propositions. The Trust has consulted the supplier, Locum's Nest Ltd, which has confirmed that it considers this information commercially sensitive and that disclosure would be likely to prejudice its commercial interests by providing competitors with detailed insight into proprietary platform functionality and product differentiation without the corresponding investment in developing those capabilities. The Trust has considered the public interest test. It recognises the public interest in transparency regarding the systems used by NHS organisations and the capabilities obtained through public expenditure. The Trust has disclosed information about the identity of the supplier and the products/modules in use. However, it considers that there is a stronger public interest in avoiding the disclosure of detailed proprietary product information where doing so would be likely to damage the supplier's ability to compete fairly in the market. Accordingly, the Trust considers that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure, and the requested information is withheld under section 43(2). | |
| Question Number 6: Whether the Trust can export its own shift and rate records from the platform and, if so, the available file formats. Records stored in the supplier's system Some requested records may be stored in the platform provider's system rather than on the Trust's own systems. Section 3(2)(b) of the Act covers information that another person stores on behalf of a public authority. Please include requested records that the platform provider stores for the Trust and that the Trust can access or require the provider to supply. If the Trust considers that any requested record is not held on its behalf, please identify the relevant item and provide any contract term held by the Trust that states whether the Trust can access or obtain that record. Format and assistance For any list or tabular data, I prefer CSV format under section 11. Existing documents can be supplied in their current electronic format. Please redact exempt information rather than withhold a complete document where this is possible. | |
| Answer To Question 6: The Trust is able to obtain/export its own operational staffing records from the platform. The Trust considers that detailed technical information concerning the platform's export functionality, configuration and underlying specifications, beyond the information provided above, is exempt under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 where disclosure would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the platform provider. The Trust has considered the public interest in transparency against the likely commercial prejudice arising from disclosure and considers that the public interest favours withholding detailed proprietary technical information. | |
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