Request

I would also like to know the full qualifications of the medical assessor who decided this case please. If you cannot give out their name etc for data reasons, then I would like to know their job title. And if they are actually in a position to do a report on my injury by vaccine administration? How qualified are they?

Response

Qualifications

I am writing to advise you that I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The NHSBSA does not hold the full qualifications of each independent medical assessor. This is managed by the independent medical assessor supplier. However, independent medical assessors are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and have:

• a license to practise • at least five years’ experience • experience of the performance of medical and/or disability assessments.

Name

I can confirm that this information is held by the NHSBSA as it is included in the medical report received from the medical assessment supplier. The name of the medical assessor is redacted before this report is disclosed to the claimant or their representative. Given this will allow the medical assessor to be identified, this information would not be disclosed under the exemption in section 40 subsections 2 and 3A (a) of the Freedom of Information Act.

Disclosure of the name and location is likely to result in considerable distress to the medical assessor.

Disclosing this information would be unfair and as such this would breach the UK GDPR first data protection principle, as the medical assessor has not consented to this disclosure.

Therefore, this information falls under the exemption in section 40 subsections 2 and 3A (a) of the Freedom of Information Act. This is because it would breach the first data protection principle as: a) it is not fair to disclose medical assessors’ personal details to the world and is likely to cause damage or distress. b) these details are not of sufficient interest to the public to warrant an intrusion into the privacy of the medical assessor.