Freedom Of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides individuals with a right of access to corporate information held by the Trust. In most circumstances, the Trust will aim to action the request within twenty working days providing that the information is not exempt from disclosure.

How to make an FOI Request

Before you make a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 please check whether the information you are seeking is already published on our website through the links on the side.

All requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, should be sent in writing either:

By e-mail to: plh-tr.foi-requests@nhs.net

Or by post to:

The Trust is happy to assist you in making a request and advising on the appropriate format. 

Please do not send requests for personal information to the Freedom of Information Team but follow this link Access to Medical Records

Note: The Trust does not translate documents

Freedom of Information Act 2000

There are twenty three exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, some of which are 'absolute' and some 'qualified'. If an exemption applies, but it is 'qualified' this means that the Trust must decide whether the public interest in exercising the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. If the Trust decides not to disclose the information, then we will advise you of this, specifying the exemption in question and why we feel it applies in these circumstances.

The Publication Scheme

The Publication Scheme is a guide to the corporate information the Trust publishes. We have a duty to produce and maintain a Publication Scheme in accordance with the Model Publication Scheme produced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The aim is to promote greater openness and transparency by making corporate information of Public Bodies accessible to you in an agreed format.

How the Publication Scheme is made available 

The Publication Scheme comprises seven classes of information (known as Definition Documents) as detailed in our Publication Scheme. In order to access this information, simply click on the highlighted word(s) contained within the relevant section of the Publication Scheme. In the majority of cases, the information will be available electronically and can be downloaded from the Trust's Website. If you require a paper copy of either the Publication Scheme or a particular document posted on the Scheme, then please contact the Freedom of information team plh-tr.foi-requests@nhs.net.  There may be a charge levied in respect of this service.  

Disclosure Log

The Trust publishes our responses to Freedom of Information requests in a disclosure log. This can be accessed by clicking the links to the left of the screen. Please note that the content of each response was correct at the time it was disclosed. 

Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 - General Statement of compliance 

The Trust, for its part, is happy for you to reuse any of the information supplied in compliance with the open Government Licence terms. Please go to: http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/ogl-user-guidance.pdf. The Trust does not permit the forwarding or sale of staff/departmental contact details and a specific 'Re-use of Information Regulations' request is required for such purposes. 

If relevant, you will need the permission of other information owners. This can occur when you receive or access a document that is co-authored, or where the ownership is with another organisation. Provision under both the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Envrionmental Information Regulations 2004 does not entitle you to re-use the information without appropriate permissions. Use must be in compliance with an open Government licence or other agreed terms. 

Quarterly & Annual Freedom of Information Compliance Statistics 

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust publishes FOI compliance statistics in line with the Cabinet Office's Code of Practice (July 2018). Quarterly statistics will be published towards the end of the month following each quarter. For example, Quarter 1 (Apr - Jun) will be published at the end of July. 

Request for Internal Review

If you are unhappy with a response to a Freedom of Information request then you have the right to request that the Trust conducts an internal review.

By e-mail to:  plh-tr.foi-requests@nhs.net 

Or by post to

Feedback

If you have any comments about the Publication Scheme or if you have any difficulty in accessing any of the information posted in the Scheme, then please contact the team as above.

For further information about the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or if you wish to complain about the Trust’s response following an internal review, please visit the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website at www.ico.gov.uk

The UK regulator for Data Protection Legislation can be contacted as follows:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF

Website: www.ico.gov.uk

Tel: 03031231113

Environmental Information Regulations 2004

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 provide individuals with a right of access, subject to various exceptions, to environmental information held by public authorities.
Environmental information includes information on:

• The state of the elements of the environment;
• Factors, such as emissions and discharges, energy, noise and waste, affecting or likely to affect the elements of the environment;
• Measures and activities, such as policies, plans and programmes, affecting or likely to affect the elements of the environment;
• Cost benefit and other economic analyses used within the framework of the measures and activities referred to above;
• Reports on the implementation of environmental legislation and
  Health and safety issues.

The process for requesting information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 is the same as the process for requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please use the same contact details.

For further information about the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, please visit the ICO website at www.ico.gov.uk

Charges which may be made for information published under either the Publication Scheme or disclosed via the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and/or Environmental Information Regulations 2004

* If a charge is to be made, then payment will be requested and collected prior to the information being disclosed.

** In the event that it is estimated that the labour costs incurred in actioning the request will exceed £450.00 (based on a rate of £25.00 per person per hour), the Trust will either issue a Fees Notice or exercise its right not to action the request under section 12(1) of the 2000 Act.

*** An Advance Payment Notice will be issued under the same circumstances as a Fees Notice.