PHS FOI 2026-002368
- Date of request
- 01 March 2026
- Date of response
- 05 March 2026
- FOI request ID
- PHS FOI 2026-002368
- Performance and monitoring
Request
“I am requesting a detailed breakdown of formal complaints and Subject Access Requests (SARs) handled by the Board for the most recent 12-month reporting period (2024/25).
Please provide the following information for NHS Shetland and NHS Scotland national averages:
- Volume and Origin of Complaints
The total number of formal Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints received, broken down by the following categories:
* Direct: Submitted by the patient.
* Family/Carer: Submitted by a family member on behalf of a patient.
* Power of Attorney (PoA): Submitted by a legal representative or PoA.
* Supported: Specifically those submitted via the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) or Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
- Disability and Condition Breakdown
For the complaints identified above, please provide a breakdown of the number of applicants identified as having the following conditions (where recorded):
* Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
* Mental Health Conditions (including trauma-related conditions).
* Learning Disabilities or Neurodiversity (e.g., Autism, ADHD).
* Physical, Sensory, or Chronic Long-term Conditions.
- Financial and Man-Hour Costs
* The estimated average number of staff hours required to process a single Stage 2 complaint and a single SAR.
* The estimated financial cost (Full Economic Cost) per complaint and SAR, including the typical staff salary bands (e.g., Agenda for Change Bands) involved in the investigation and response.
* Any data or internal audits comparing the staff time/cost spent on Direct/Family complaints versus CAB/PASS supported complaints.
- Administrative "Re-work"
* The number of complaints or SARs that were initially rejected, paused, or returned because the initial submission lacked specific clinical descriptors or required procedural information.
* The estimated man-hour cost associated with the additional clarification cycles required for these cases.
- Subject Access Request (SAR) Statistics
* The total number of SARs received and the average time taken to fulfill them.
* The number of SARs submitted specifically by a Power of Attorney or Family member.
* The number of SARs that exceeded the 30-day statutory limit due to "unclear" or "non-specific" initial requests.”