Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust has set up a group specifically related to Brexit – but won’t reveal what has been discussed by its members.

Board papers published on February 15 confirm the group, chaired by the trust’s chief operating officer Dan Bradbury, meets regularly to “assess risks around Brexit”.

Formed last November, the EU Exit Planning Group meets every two weeks, and decisions needing to be made can be agreed at the time by Mr Bradbury or taken to the board to be rubber-stamped.

Mr Bradbury is also Epsom and St Helier’s senior responsible officer for the UK’s exit from the EU, while the group comprises members from key services within the NHS trust.

This includes people in its business continuity, communications, emergency planning, estates, human resources, pharmacy departments and more.

However, requests for information which was discussed in these meetings to be publicly disclosed, such as agenda items and minutes, have been blocked.

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We sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Epsom and St Helier which asked: “Please provide the minutes and agenda items of the meetings this ‘Brexit group’ has had.”

To which Epsom and St Helier replied: “The minutes of these meeting[s] are classed as official – sensitive and therefore cannot be shared outside the organisation.

“We are therefore withholding this under section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act [as] making this information publicly available could interfere with the effective conduct of public affairs.”

In the obtained board papers, non-executive director Richard Noble asked whether a risk needed to be included in the corporate risk register should there be a “hard Brexit”.

Those same documents also confirmed there was an agenda item on the private board meeting to discuss Epsom and St Helier’s preparations for the UK leaving the EU, which are linked with regular emergency planning.

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We asked for the agenda items and minutes to be disclosed, and the NHS trust said: “Making this information publicly available could interfere with the effective conduct of public affairs.

“We are therefore withholding this under section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act.”

In a statement, sent on May 14, Epsom and St Helier said: “The classification of ‘official – sensitive’ was made in line with guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

“As such, we have no current plans to release the level of information you have requested (as per section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act).”

The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed to delay Brexit until October 31, however, the UK could leave sooner if a withdrawal agreement is pushed through by MPs.