Freedom of Information (FOI)
The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) is to promote a culture of openness and accountability in the public sector, by providing people with a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities.
The underlying principle of the Act is that information held by
a public body should be freely available. This means that you
can ask about corporate information held by Southend University
Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) and request access to it.
The Trust will deal with all requests in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act Codes of Practice.
Publication Scheme
The Trust is obliged under the Act to maintain a publication
scheme and is required to routinely publish certain information
under the publication scheme. As a result of the Publication
Scheme Development and Maintenance Initiative the Information
Commissioner's Office has introduced a model publication scheme
that all public sector organisations should adopt from 1 January
2009. Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is
committed to complying with the model publication scheme.
This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information
routinely published by Southend Hospital NHS Acute Trust. It
is a description of the information about our Trust which we make
publicly available. We shall review the Scheme at regular
intervals and monitor how it is operating.
Please note, this section is currently in development and
therefore some of the information may not be available on line.
In the meantime if you require access to any of the
information mentioned in the publication scheme, whichcannot be
located on our website you may submit a"request for information" to
the Trust. (See section "Making a Request" below).
The scheme is split into categories (Classes of
Information) and gives an indication of the documents which
Public Authorities are recommended to make available to the
public.
- Who we are and what we do
- What we spent and how we spend it
- What are our priorities and how are we doing
- How we made decisions
- Our policies and procedures
- Lists and registers
- The services we offer
For more general information see the following links to the
Information Commissioner's Office website for the Publication
Scheme and Definition Document:
Model publication scheme
explanation from the Information Commissioner
Definition document for health bodies in England from the
Information Commissioner
Information Management
Information falling into these categories will be retained in
line with the Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's
retention and disposal schedules, which comply with circular
HSC1999/53 'For the Record' and Public Record Office Guidance.
Information not required for the business purposes of the
Trust is stored at the Trust/at a place of deposit approved by the
Lord Chancellor for the purpose of holding public records
Feedback
If you have any questions, comments or complaints about this
Scheme, in the first instance please write to:
Mrs Nicola Frost
Freedom of Information Co-ordinator
Governance Unit
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Prittlewell Chase
Westcliff on Sea,
Essex
SS0 0RY
Tel: 01702 435555 extn 6455
E-mail to: nicola.frost@southend.nhs.uk
Anyone not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint or remain
dissatisfied about the operation of the Publication Scheme, you may
ask the Information Commissioner to undertake an independent
review. Please write to:
The Information Commissioner
Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow,
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545700
Facsimile: 01625 524510
e-mail: data@dataprotection.gov.uk
The Information Commissioners website address for further
information is:www.ico.gov.uk
Making a request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act recognises that as a member of
the public, you have the right to know how public services such as
the NHS are organised and run, how much they cost and how you can
make complaints if you need to. You have the right to know
which services are being provided, the targets that are being set,
the standards of services that are expected and the results
achieved.
From 1 January 2005 the Act also obliges the Trust to respond to
requests about the information which it holds and is recorded in
any form and it will create a right of access to that information.
The rights to request and access this information are subject
to some exemptions which the Trust has to take into consideration
before deciding what information can be released.
If you have a request for information that the Trust could
provide for you, please contact our Freedom of Information
Co-ordinator, in writing and include:
- Your name and address for correspondence (email address is also
acceptable)
- Describe the information that you are requesting (giving enough
detail in order to allow us to correctly identify and find it)
- The way you would like the information sent to you (e.g. by
post or email)
Sent your request to:
Mrs Nicola Frost
Freedom of Information Co-ordinator
Governance Unit
SouthendUniversityHospital NHS Foundation Trust
Prittlewell Chase
Westcliff on Sea
Essex
SS0 0RY
Tel: 01702 435555 extension 6455
E-mail to: nicola.frost@southend.nhs.uk
Response Target
The target for meeting requests for information is twenty
working days following receipt. Applicants will be kept
informed if any delays appear likely.
Limits of Disclosure - Exemptions
We will disclose information wherever possible. However,
in some cases information cannot be supplied in full or in part if
one of the exemptions outlined in the Freedom of Information Act
has to be applied. For example where in certain limited
circumstances, it will be necessary to preserve confidentiality
where it is not in the public interest to disclose the information
requested.
If possible we will supply the information requested with the
exempt information removed. In any case where information is
refused, the Trust will specify which exemption is being claimed
and why. All requests for information will be carefully
considered on their own merits and with close regard to the public
interest.
Cost of Information
For the most part, the Trust will not charge for the supply of
information requested under the terms of the Freedom of Information
Act 2000. However, requests for multiple hard copies or
copying onto electronic media, such as computer disk, may attract a
charge. The charges will vary according to how information is
made available. Charges are as follows:
a) Via the Trust's Web Site - Free of charge,
although any charges for Internet Service provider and personal
printing costs would have to be met by the individual.
For those without internet access, a single printout, as on the
website, is available by writing to:
Mrs Nicola Frost
Freedom of Information Co-ordinator
Governance Unit
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Prittlewell Chase
Westcliff on Sea
Essex
SS0 0RY
Tel: 01702 435555 extn 6455
E-mail to: nicola.frost@southend.nhs.uk
However, requests for multiple printouts, or for archived copies
of documents which are no longer accessible or available on the
web, may attract a charge for the retrieval, photocopying, postage
etc.
We will let you know the cost and charges that will have to be
paid in advance. We will not provide printouts of other
organisation's websites.
b) Leaflets and brochures - free of charge for
leaflets or booklets on, for example, services we offer to the
public. A list is available following a request to the
Communications and Marketing Department, as below.
c) "Glossy" or other bound paper copies or in
some cases a CD ROM, video or other media are for charge, lists
available following a request to the Communications and Marketing
Department.
Head of Communications and Marketing
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The Lodge, Prittlewell Chase
Westcliff-on-Sea
Essex
SS0 0RY
d) Email - emailed information will be free of
charge unless it says otherwise. The charges will be
reviewed regularly.
Who is the Information
Commissioner?
The Information Commissioner enforces and oversees the Data
Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information Act 2000. The
Commissioner is aUKindependent supervisory authority reporting
directly to the UK Parliament.
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Fax: 01625 524 510
Enquiry/Information Line: 01625 545 745
The Information
Commissioner's Office
Patient confidentiality
The Freedom of Information Act (FOI) does not change the right
of patients to protection of their patient confidentiality in
accordance with the Data Protection Act, common law and Article 8
of the Human Rights Convention.
Maintaining the legal right to the patient confidentiality
continues to be an important commitment on our part. To help
with this, we have appointed someone who is called a Caldicott
Guardian. Denise Townsend, Director of Nursing is our
Caldicott Guardian who has the responsibility to ensure the
protection of patient confidentiality throughout the Trust in
accordance with your legal rights.
The Caldicott Guardian can be contacted by writing to:
Denise Townsend, Director of Nursing
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Trust
Office
Prittlewell Chase
Westcliff on Sea
Essex
SS0 0RY
Data Protection Act 1998
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records
Act 1990, you are entitled to access your health records or any
other personal information held about you. There may be a
charge for this information. More information about your
rights can be found at www.ico.gov.uk.
To gain access to your health records you must make a request in
writing to:
The Health Records Manager
Health Records Department
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Prittlewell Chase
Westcliff on Sea
Essex
SS0 0RY
Tel: 01702 435555 extension 8010
Please visit our Accessing Health Records
page to download the required forms.
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
Enable similar access to environmental information, as under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Copyright
The material available through this Publication Scheme is
subject to the Acute Trust's copyright unless otherwise indicated.
Unless expressly indicated on the material to the contrary,
it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium,
provided it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading
manner. Where any of the copyright items in this Scheme are
being republished or copied to others, you must identify the source
of the material and acknowledge the copyright status.
Permission to reproduce material does not extend to any
material accessed through the Publication Scheme that is the
copyright of third parties. You must obtain authorisation to
reproduce such material from the copyright holders concerned.
For HMSO Guidance Notes on a range of copyright issues, see the
HMSO web site: www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm
or contact:
HMSO Licensing Division
St Clements House
2-16 Colegate
Norwich
NR31BQ
Tel: 01603 621000
Fax: 01603 723000
Re-use of Public Sector Information
All information supplied by the Trust in answering a request for
information (RFI) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will be
subject to the terms of the Re-use of Public Sector Information
Regulations 2005, Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 1515 which came
into effect on 1st July 2005.
Under the terms of the Regulations, the Trust will licence the
re-use of any or all information supplied if being used in a form
and for the purpose other than which it was originally supplied.
This license for re-use will be in line with the requirements
of the Regulations and the licensing terms and fees as laid down by
the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI). Most licenses
will be free; however the Trust reserves the right, in certain
circumstances, to charge a fee for the re-use of some information
which it deems to be of commercial value.
Further information can be found at www.opsi.gov.uk
where a sample license terms and fees can be found with guidance on
copyright and publishing notes and a Guide to Best Practice and
regulated advice and case studies, at www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/psi-regulations/index.htm
Other useful information
websites
Freedom of Information Act 2000 Crown Copyright 2000 www.opsi.gov.uk
Data Protection Act 1998 Crown Copyright 1998 www.opsi.gov.uk
The Environmental Regulations 2004 www.opsi.gov.uk
Freedom of Information website: www.foi.gov.uk
Information Commissioner website: www.ico.gov.uk
The Ministry of Justice
www.justice.gov.uk
Classes of information
Please see the link below detailing classes of information