Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like to request the following information:

1. The number of penalty notices issued in the past six years to new benefit claimants compared to claimants who have been receiving benefits for over 12 months.

2. Evidence of when and what information relating to your "Check Before You Tick" campaign was provided to MyDentist Westbrook.

3. Details of other efforts made since September 2019 to inform and educate the public about eligibility for NHS dental treatment and the "Check Before You Tick" campaign.

4. Evidence of whether the number of penalty notices issued has increased or decreased since the implementation of the "Check Before You Tick" campaign.

Response

Question 1

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by NHS Business Services Authority.

NHSBSA does not hold information on benefits people receive. We check what exemption has been claimed on the dental form and then check with DWP who confirm whether the patient has a valid exemption. If not confirmed, then the enquiry letter is issued.

Question 2

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by NHSBSA.

Having reviewed your request, I believe that it is possible that NHS England may hold some or all of the information you require. They can be contacted at:

NHS England

PO Box 16738

Redditch

B97 9PT

Telephone 0300 311 22 33

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

Web http://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/foi/

Question 3

NHSBSA issues regular communications out to the public via NHSBSA websites, social media, and YouTube videos, we also supply all Dental Practice with updated toolkits and keep them up to date on any changes and updates to share and use in their dental practice.

Question 4

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA.

NHSBSA hold monthly 'PCN issued' data but this will not answer the question asked. We do not send a set number of PCNs each month or year, volumes issued are based on several factors such as the number of prescriptions tokens that have been submitted and the ability of our contact centre to handle various volumes of penalty notice contacts. If data showed a change in volumes (up or down) after a campaign started, there is no way to attribute this to a particular campaign.