length of time people need to wait for a package of care

I am carrying out some research into the length of time people need to wait for a package of care to enable them to be safely discharged to their own homes after a stay in hospital.

I am particularly looking at:

people who live in the Axe Valley region which includes Seaton, Axminster and the surrounding villages and who are registered with a GP who is based at one of the following surgeries:

Axminster Medical Practice;

Lyme Regis Medical Centre, Lyme Regis;

Lyme Bay Medical Centre, Lyme Regis;

Springmead Surgery, Chard;

Essex House Medical Centre, Chard;

Tawstock Medical Centre, Chard;

Seaton and Colyton Medical Centre, Seaton and

Townsend House, Seaton.
We do not have access to data on registered GP surgery – the information below is based on the Axminster and Seaton Devon town areas which is the closest available approximation available

1) Could you provide numbers for each of these hospitals who, because a package of care could not be sourced, patients remained on the wards on these dates:

2) Would you also advise me of the number of people living in their own homes and who are waiting for a face to face assessment in the Axe Valley and the length of time each person has been on the list.

Calculating the waiting time of clients currently on the list for a Face to Face assessment would exceed the 18 hour time limit for a Freedom of Information request as we would need to make a manual search of 1000 records which would take 10 minutes for each record. We therefore consider that Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act applies.

3) Would you also provide me with the names of all of the care agencies which are currently being used in the Axe Valley

1st React – (Not Axminster)
Absolute Care Southwest – (Axminster only)
Axe Valley
Blue Bird
Circle of Care
Curtesy Care
Guinness Care and Support
Harcombe Valley
Helping Hands
RV Care

4) And how much is paid to them for their hourly rate by Devon County Council.

We believe that the information you have requested is exempt under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Commercial Interests.
Devon County Council considers that the release of this information would be likely to be commercially prejudicial to the council, as realising this information could lead to providers benchmarking against prices submitted. This may then lead to future tenders being less completive which may mean the Council having to pay more for these services in the future.
Devon County Council acknowledges that there is a general public interest in openness and transparency. However, in the current economic climate there is a strong public interest in ensuring that we generate as much income from our commercial clients as possible, so that the maximum amount of money can be spent on services for the people of Devon. Therefore, for this reason we believe that the balance of public interest lies in withholding this information at this time.