Staff meeting held regarding the suspension of the homebirth service since July 2024

Request 739519768  ​

Please can I request all minutes / records of: 

1) every staff meeting that has been held regarding the suspension of the homebirth service since July 2024 - present 

2) every staff meeting / working group that has been held regarding the recommencement of the homebirth service since July 2024 - present 

If there are no minutes available, please explain why no formal minutes / records have been taken. 

Many thanks in advance. 

Response 

Records have been reviewed and information in scope of this request has been prepared for disclosure. Documents have been redacted in consideration of Freedom of Information legislation. Redactions have been colour coded for ease of reference.  

Yellow Personal Information of individuals, including Government of Jersey employees below Tier 2 – Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

Purple Formulation and Development of Policies – Article 35 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 

Orange Employment – Article 39 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 

The minutes of the October 2024 Home Birth Team meeting are attached: 

Freedom of Information response 739519768 - HB Team Minutes Oct 2024.pdf

Minutes of Senior Leadership Team meetings where the home birth service was discussed are attached below. Information on matters unrelated to the home birth service has been redacted in grey

Freedom of Information response 739519768 - HCJ SLT Minutes 13032025.pdf

Freedom of Information response 739519768 - HCJ SLT Minutes 13022025.pdf

Documents from the Quality Improvement project undertaken in relation to the home birth service are also attached below. Formal minutes were not taken at these project meetings; agreed outcomes, discussions and ‘next steps’ were recorded in the relevant action plans, which reflect the key points and decisions made. 

Freedom of Information response 739519768 - Action Plan.pdf

Freedom of Information response 739519768 - Action Issues Log.pdf

Freedom of Information response 739519768 - QI A3 Project Scope.pdf

Freedom of Information response 739519768 - QI A3 Closure Report.pdf

Articles applied 

Article 25 - Personal information 

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005. 

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if – 

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and 

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law. 

3)      In determining for the purposes of this Article whether the lawfulness principle in Article 8(1)(a) of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 would be contravened by the disclosure of information, paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 2 to that Law (legitimate 

interests) is to be read as if sub-paragraph (b) (which disapplies the provision where the controller is a public authority) were omitted.  

Article 35 - Formulation and development of policies 

Information is qualified exempt information if it relates to the formulation or development of any proposed policy by a public authority. 

Article 39 -Employment 

Information is qualified exempt information if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice pay or conditions negotiations that are being held between a public authority and – 

(a) an employee or prospective employee of the authority; or 

(b) representatives of the employees of the authority.  

Public Interest Test  

Articles 35 and 39 are qualified exemptions and, as such, Health and Care Jersey (HCJ) has conducted a prejudice test as required by law.  

HCJ has assessed whether, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in supplying the information is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption.  

It is recognised that there is a public interest in transparency. However, having considered the public interest, HCJ has concluded that the public interest in disclosing certain information relating to employment matters and policy development requiring consultation with community partners is outweighed by the interest in maintaining the exemptions.