Freedom of Information

The Royal Surrey County Hospital is committed to providing the health information that you require so that you can make informed choices about how you are cared for.

Our Freedom of Information co-ordinator, can be contacted on lisa.ward1@nhs.net

Any person can make a request under the Act - there are no restrictions on your age, nationality, or where you live.

All you have to do is write to (or email) us. You should make sure that you include:

• your name
• an address where you can be contacted
• a description of the information that you want

You don't have to mention the Freedom of Information Act, but there is no reason not to if you want to.

You should try to describe the information you want in as much detail as possible - for example "minutes of the meeting where the decision to do X was made", rather than "everything you have about X". This will help us find the information you need. Please note that there are exemptions on certain information and you will be advised of this.

Public authorities must comply with your request promptly, and we aim to provide the information to you within 20 working days (around a month). If we need more time, we will write to you and tell you when we will be able to answer your request, and why more time is needed.

Contact details:

Lisa Ward

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator
c/o Communications and Marketing 
Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust
Royal Surrey County Hospital
Egerton Road
Guildford
GU2 7XX 

Email: lisa.ward1@nhs.net

As a patient, relative, visitor or member of the public you have a right to all information held by NHS bodies.  However, there are exemptions under the Act and we will write to let you know if we are not able to supply the information.  The exemptions include:

• If the request is incomplete and a full retrieval cannot be made.
• If a charge is levied due to the nature of the information being requested and this isn't paid.
• If the duty to protect the public interest overrules the disclosure.
• If the information is available in a reasonably accessible format elsewhere.
• If we intend to publish the information at a future date.
• If the data includes personal information (whereby the Data Protection Act 1998 takes priority).
• If the information will prejudice our commercial interests.
• If the request covers security and other matters.

If you ask for information about yourself, then your request will be handled under the Data Protection Act instead of the Freedom of Information Act. You have slightly different rights to this information, different fees apply and public authorities have longer to respond to these requests.

If your request is refused, you should first ask us for an internal review of the decision. Someone who was not connected with the initial decision should carry out this review.

If you have already done this, or we have refused to review our decision, you can appeal to the independent Information Commissioner. 

The Commissioner has the power to investigate the way a public authority handled a request and the answer given. If the Commissioner agrees that we have wrongly withheld information, we can be ordered to disclose it to you.

More information about the Freedom of Information Act can be found on the following website:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/guidancefoi.htm

Please click here for the Royal Surrey Freedom of Information Publication Scheme