Publication Scheme

Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a publication scheme which is a complete guide to information it makes publicly available.

If you are unable to find the information you’re looking for in the publication scheme or on the Trust’s website, you can make a freedom of information request: https://www.yas.nhs.uk/contact-us/freedom-of-information-foi/

The Publication Scheme is in three parts, as follows:

What is a Publication Scheme?

The Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (“YAS”). It is a description of the information about the Trust which it makes publicly available. YAS will review the Scheme at regular intervals and monitor how it is operating. It is important to the Trust that this Scheme meets your needs and it has been designed to be a route map so that you can find information about YAS easily.

The Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information that the Trust publishes. The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of patients regarding protection of patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Eurpoean Convention on Human Rights, the Data Protection Act 2018 and Common Law.

Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality continues to be an important commitment of the Trust. To help with this, YAS has appointed a 'Caldicott Guardian' who has responsiblity to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality throughout the Trust in accordance with your legal rights. At YAS the Caldicott Guardian is:

Dr Julian Mark
Executive Medical Director
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Ambulance Headquarters – Springhill
Wakefield 41 Business Park
Wakefield
WF2 0XQ

Information Management

Information falling into the classes (please see Part Two) will be retained in line with the Trust’s retention and disposal schedules, which comply with the Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016 and Public Record Office Guidance.

Feedback

Any questions, comments or complaints about this scheme should be emailed to: yas.foi@nhs.net or submitted to the following postal address:

Freedom of Information
Legal Services Department
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Ambulance Headquarters – Springhill
Wakefield 41 Business Park
Wakefield
WF2 0XQ


You can also write to the above address if you have a complaint about the operation of the publication scheme, or how the Trust has dealt with your request for information from the scheme.

Rights of access to information

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 recognises that, as a member of the public, you have the right to know how public services, such as the NHS, are organised and run; how much they cost and how you can make complaints if you need to. You have the right to know which services are being provided; the targets that are being set; the standards of services that are expected; and the results achieved.

The Trust is obliged to respond to requests about the information which it holds and is recorded in any form and it will create a right of access to that information. The rights to request and access this information are subject to some exemptions which YAS has to take into consideration before deciding what information can be released.

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you are also entitled to access any personal information held about you, such as patient records. To make a request please email yas.subjectaccessrequests@nhs.net or write to:

Subject Access Requests
Legal Services Department
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Ambulance Headquarters - Springhill
Wakefield 41 Business Park
Wakefield
WF2 0XQ

The Environmental Information Regulations provide similar access to environmental information as under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The information is grouped into broad categories as follows:

  • Who we are and what we do;
  • What we spend and how we spend it;
  • What our priorities are and how we are doing;
  • How we make decisions;
  • Our policies and procedures;
  • The services we offer.

YAS will state how you can obtain the information outlined within each class and this will be either as a hard copy or other media (as stated within each class). The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated within each class.

The Trust’s commitment to publish information excludes any information which can legitimately be withheld under the exemptions set out in the Freedom of Information Act, examples of which may include protection of commercial interests and personal and patient information under the General Data Protection Regulations.

The NHS and how we fit

The NHS forms a large part of the public sector. In the North of England, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides emergency and healthcare services to patients in Yorkshire and the Humber. YAS also operates the non-emergency NHS 111 service for Yorkshire and the Humber along with North and North East Lincolnshire and Bassetlaw. Other health partners include Clinical Commissioning Groups which commission YAS to provide a range of services.

YAS provides four primary services:

  • Emergency Operations Centres (“EOCs”) where staff receive 999 calls and deploy the most appropriate response to meet patients' needs;
  • An accident and emergency (A&E) service in response to 999 calls;
  • A patient transport service (PTS) which takes eligible non-emergency patients to and from their hospital and clinic appointments;
  • A NHS 111 service which is a service for patients whose condition is not life-threatening, but who require urgent care. This includes telephone advice and signposting to other NHS services.

The Trust’s A&E service includes meeting its responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 as a Category One responder.

The Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) are where Category One and Two responders come together. They are based on police service boundaries so Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust is represented at North Yorkshire, Humberside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire LRFs.

One of their main tasks is to collectively assess the civil protection risks to the local community both collectively and as individual responders and then produce emergency plans accordingly to mitigate those risks. The LRF should also be cognisant of national risk assessments carried out by government bodies.

Who we are and what we do

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) was formed on 1 July 2006 following a merger of the former West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service; Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service and South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service.

The Trust covers nearly 6,000 square miles of varied terrain, from isolated moors and dales to urban areas, coastline and inner cities.

The Trust serves a population of over five million people across Yorkshire and the Humber and strives to ensure that patients receive the right response to their care needs as quickly as possible, wherever they live.

The Trust employs more than 5,800 staff, who together with over 1,100 volunteers, enable us to provide a vital 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, emergency and healthcare service.

YAS receives an average of over 2,700 emergency and routine calls a day. In 2018-19 it responded to a total of 798,968 incidents through either a vehicle arriving on scene or by telephone advice. Clinicians based in the Clinical Hub which operates within the Emergency Operations Centres (“EOCs”) triaged and helped just under 130,000 callers with their healthcare needs.

YAS’ Patient Transport Service made over 934,000 journeys in 2018-19, transporting patients to and from hospital and treatment centre appointments.

YAS’ NHS 111 service helped 1.6 million patients across Yorkshire and the Humber, Bassetlaw, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire during 2018-19.

YAS abides by the NHS Constitution which establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. View the full Constitution Document here.

YAS’ Chief Executive is Rod Barnes and the Chairman is Kathryn Lavery. The Trust Board is supported by the following committees:

  • Audit Committee;
  • Charitable Funds Committee;
  • Remuneration and Terms of Service Committee;
  • Finance & Investment Committee;
  • Quality Committee.

A variety of Corporate Governance information is held that includes the following:

  • Register of Interests;
  • Standing Orders;
  • Standing Financial Instructions;
  • Scheme of Delegation.

The Trust works and interacts with many stakeholder organisations including local healthwatch organisations, clinical commissioning groups, acute trusts, mental health trusts, GPs, social services, local authorities, health and wellbeing boards and overview and scrutiny committees, voluntary organisations and other emergency services including the police and the fire and rescue services.

What we spend and how we spend it

The Trust's accounts and funding information is available on request, please e-mail yas.foi@nhs.net.

Annual Report, Quality Accounts and Financial Accounts

Annual Report, Quality Accounts and Financial Accounts can be viewed on the publications section of our website.

Expenditure over £25,000

As part of the Government's commitment to improve the transparency of how public funds are used, the Trust will publish a monthly updated list of all financial transactions greater than £25,000. They can be viewed on the YAS website.

Board Members’ Allowances and Expenses

In the spirit of the Trust’s commitment to openness and transparency, the Trust Board has decided to publish details of each Member’s annual expense claims on the YAS website.

Staff Pay-and-Grading Structures

The NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook contains information about the pay-and-grading structures for ambulance service staff, managers and the wider healthcare team.

What our priorities are and how we are doing

Annual Reports and Quality Accounts

The Trust has published its Annual Report, Quality Accounts and Financial Accounts. You can view electronic copies of the most recent, as well as previous, Annual Reports.

The aim of the Quality Accounts is to provide easy access to information about the quality of the service YAS provides. It defines how the Trust measures quality and enables comparisons between services.

Integrated Performance Reports

The YAS Integrated Performance Report (IPR) is published monthly and provides an overview of all aspects of the Trust over the year. It shows the indicators that are used to measure performance for each of the Trust’s operational areas and how well it is delivering its key services.

The reports are uploaded monthly and are available to download in PDF format.

Ambulance Quality Indicators

The Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQIs) were introduced in April 2011 for all ambulance services in England and look at the quality of care provided as well as the speed of response to patients.

The AQIs are ambulance specific and are concerned with patient safety and outcomes. They are designed to be consistent with measures in other parts of the NHS, most notably those from emergency departments. They comprise the System Indicators and the Clinical Outcomes.

The statistics for all ambulance services are updated monthly:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Constantly monitoring the Trust’s performance is essential as it is a vital indicator of how well YAS responds to patients’ needs and how the Trust can maintain and improve its standards of care.

Strategic Direction

The Trust’s business plans can be found in the publications section of the YAS website.

The One-year Operating Plan 2018/19 is the second year of a two-year operating plan submitted to NHS Improvement on 30 April 2018.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

CQC, the independent regulator of health and social care services in England, carries out Annual Performance Ratings which aim to provide an overall assessment of the performance of all NHS organisations in England. Two main areas are evaluated - how effectively an organisation manages its finances and the quality of its services. View our latest CQC report here.

Service User Surveys

YAS would like to hear about your experience of the service you receive. Your feedback is important, because it helps the Trust to understand where it can make improvements and where it is providing a good service. Please visit the Please Tell Us What You Think section of the YAS website.

Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs)

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust carries out a Data Protection Impact Assessment whenever new types of processing are undertaken or new systems are introduced that have the capacity to create a high risk to the security of personal data.

Data Protection Impact Assessments completed by YAS since the introduction of GDPR in May 2018 are detailed on the YAS website.

How we make Decisions

The Trust Board

The Trust Board is legally responsible for the leadership, direction, control and risk management of the Trust. Its main responsibilities include:

  • promoting the success of the Trust by directing and managing the organisation's affairs;
  • active leadership of the Trust within a framework of prudent and effective controls which enable risk to be assessed and managed;
  • setting the strategic aims of YAS, ensuring that the necessary financial and human resources are in place for the organisation to meet its objectives and review management performance;
  • setting YAS' values and standards to ensure that its obligations to patients, the local community and the Secretary of State are understood and met.

The Trust Board is made up of the chairman, five non-executive directors and five executive directors including the chief executive.

Board Meetings

The YAS Trust Board meets every two months. The public may attend these meetings, and the minutes of the Board meetings are published in the Publications section of the YAS website.

Our Policies and Procedures

A variety of policies and procedures, reviewed annually by the Trust’s directorates, guide the way in which the Trust operates. They include:

  • Quality;
  • Operations;
  • Finance;
  • Training, Education and Development;
  • Clinical;
  • Human Resources.

The Trust's policies, procedures and guidance documents are available on request, please e-mail yas.foi@nhs.net

The services we offer

YAS puts patients and their needs at the heart of everything it does so that they receive the right response, as quickly as possible, wherever they live.

The Trust is constantly developing new and more effective ways of carrying out its core services; a list of which can be found on Our Services section of the YAS website.

Patient Relations

If you would like to thank a member of our staff, make a comment or suggestion about the service, raise a concern or make a complaint please contact the Trust’s Patient Relations Department.

Patient Relations Department
Yorkshire Ambulance NHS Trust
Ambulance Headquarters – Springhill
Wakefield 41 Business Park
Wakefield
WF2 0XQ

Tel: 0333 1300549
E-mail: yas.patientrelations@nhs.net

Corporate communications and media releases

The Trust’s busy press office handles upwards of 2,000 media enquiries a year from local, regional and national media. It works to provide regular, factual, objective, honest and open information about Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust as well as promoting the achievements of its staff.

To contact the press office, please e-mail yas.pressoffice@nhs.net or phone 0845 120 0048.

Information including media releases and campaigns/events details can be found in the News and Media section on the YAS website.

The bodies involved in the monitoring and/or inspection of our services are:

Useful Resources

Websites:

Publications:

Copyright

The material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to the YAS copyright unless otherwise indicated. Unless expressly indicated on the material to the contrary, it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium, provided it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading manner. Where any of the copyright items in this Scheme are being re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source of the material and acknowledge the copyright status. Permission to reproduce material does not extend to any material accessed through the Publication Scheme that is the copyright of third parties. You must obtain authorisation to reproduce such material from the copyright holders concerned.

For guidance on a range of copyright issues, please refer to The National Archives website or contact:


The National Archives
Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 4DU

Tel: 020 8876 3444