Response from Department of Health to FOI Request for KPMG Report on NHS Choices and NHS Direct

After a complaint to the Information Commissioner, the Department for Health has chosen to publish a redacted version of the “National Digital Services report by KPMG into NHS Direst and NHS Choices”. You can find the redacted report NHS Choices and NHS Direct on this link (PDF). You’ll see that the opening letter of the report says:

“As requested, we enclose a copy of our second draft confidential report relating to NHS Direct and NHS Choices dated 20 August 2009. In accordance with our engagement letter dated 3 June 2009, you have agreed that our final written report shall take precedence over this draft, and no reliance will be placed by you on any draft report other than at your own risk.

This draft report has been prepared on the basis of fieldwork carried out up to 7 August 2009. We draw your attention to the Important Notice included on page 3 of this draft report.

We are submitting this report to you in draft in order to give you the opportunity to comment on its contents before it is finalised. Our draft report is confidential and is released to you on the basis that it is not to be copied, referred to or disclosed, in whole or in part, without our prior written consent, save as permitted in our contract of engagement”

I’ve put in another FoI request for the first draft report as well as all other letter of understanding etc.

Below is the response from the Department of Health.