Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act, please could you answer the following questions:
A
Does Jersey General Hospital use / perform Viscosupplementation injections?
B
If so, how much did Jersey General Hospital spend on Viscosupplementation between the period of 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017?
C
If Jersey General Hospital used Viscosupplementation between the period 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017, which brand(s) did you use? To make your research easier, I have listed all commonly used Viscosupplements that you can cross reference:
D
How many units of each brand of Viscosupplement did you use?
Response
A
Yes
B
This request has been refused and Article 33 (Commercial Interests) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.
C
In 2017 the Hospital Pharmacy dispensed Durolane and Synvisc.
D
Durolane – 54 units
Synvisc – 7 units
It should be noted that other products may have been used, however, they were not issued by the Hospital Pharmacy.
Article applied
Article 33 Commercial interests
Information is qualified exempt information if –
(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or
(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).
The department can confirm that it holds this information. However, the cost is commercially sensitive to the Health and Social Services Department and its suppliers.
Having considered the public interest, the department has decided to withhold the cost of Durolane and Synvisc for 2017 as it is considered that releasing this information would be likely to prejudice the department’s ability to obtain them at the best price.
