Disclosure Log

Enclosed beds (FOI/5224)

Message from Nottinghamshire County Council - 28 January 2025

Dear *****

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI/00005224

Thank you for your email of 7 January 2025 where you requested:

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I am seeking information regarding enclosed beds (sometimes referred to as safe sleeping spaces, or known under the brand names: CloudCuddle, Urzone, Creative Care Ltd, Safety Sleeper, Safespaces etc) within your council"s jurisdiction.
If you determine this request to exceed the appropriate limit of the cost of compliance (specified in The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004) please answer these questions in order until such limit is reached.
Please provide me with the following information:
  1. How many enclosed beds have been provided to residents over the past five years
  2. What is the annual expenditure on enclosed beds for the past five years
  3. What is the average cost per bed
  4. What brand(s) of enclosed bed(s) do you supply Do you have any data on the demographics of those receiving enclosed beds
  5. What criteria are used to assess whether an individual requires an enclosed bed
  6. Is there are a waiting list for an enclosed bed If so, how long is the average waiting period
  7. What percentage of the council"s disability or social care budget is allocated to enclosed beds
  8. Have there been any recorded incidents involving enclosed beds (e.g., accidents, injuries, misuse)
  9. Are risk assessments conducted when assessing an individual for an enclosed bed If so, what factors are considered
  10. How does the council review the effectiveness and continued need for enclosed beds
  11. Are there specific national or local guidelines the council follows regarding enclosed beds For example, guidance from NHS England, NICE, or safeguarding frameworks.

From our preliminary assessment, it is clear that we will not be able to answer your request without further clarification. Under section 1(3) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), a public authority need not comply with a request unless any further information reasonably required to locate the information is supplied.  If a request is too broad or general in nature, then public authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance to the applicant in order to focus the request.

In order to provide you with the information on the scale that you have requested would require us to search and manually compile a large number of records relating to profiling beds with bumpers or side rails.  This is because these beds do not come as a single unit but are made up of parts and the records on our system have to be manually reviewed to see if the parts were ordered to make an enclosed bed.

Section 12 of the Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for local government is set at £450.  This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

We estimate that it will take us in excess of 18 hours to determine appropriate material and locate, retrieve and extract the information in reference to your request.  Therefore, your request will not be processed further.

You may wish to refine your request by narrowing its scope by being more specific about what information you particularly wish to obtain, including any dates or period of time relevant to the information required.  We are likely to be able to answer your request in relation to specialist enclosed beds and the remaining questions within the 18 hour time period.

Your privacy: we use your personal information such as name and address so that we can comply with our legal obligations to respond to FOI requests.  For further details about the use of information about you, please see the information handling privacy notice on our website at https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/media/4323566/informationgovernanceandinformationrightsprivacynotice.pdf.

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review requests should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of receipt of the response to your original request and should be addressed to: Complaints and Information – Team Manager, Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM, NG2 7QP or [email protected].

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications. 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, WILMSLOW, SK9 5AF or https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/foi-and-eir-complaints/.

Yours sincerely

Colin Sawers (He/Him)
Information Case Officer | Customers, Complaints and Information
Chief Executive"s Department | Nottinghamshire County Council
County Hall | Loughborough Road | West Bridgford | NOTTINGHAM | NG2 7QP
Tel: (0115) 977 3714