Part One: Introduction

Welcome

What a Publication Scheme is
This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by Good Hope Hospital NHS 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. It is important to us that this Scheme meets your needs and we have designed it to be a route map so that you can find information about Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust easily.

Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (there is a link to the Act in Part Three) Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of Trust information. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities (of which Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust is one).

The Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information, which the Trust publishes. The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of patients to protection of their patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, the Data Protection Act and at common law. Maintaining the legal right to 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, and who has responsibility to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality throughout the Trust in accordance with your legal rights.

In Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust, our Caldicott Guardian is:

Dr. Francis Murray,
Medical Director,
Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust,
Rectory Road,
Sutton Coldfield,
West Midlands,
B75 7RR

Information Management
Information falling into the Classes will be retained in line with the Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust’s retention and disposal schedules, which comply with circular HSC1999/53 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
Any questions, comments or complaints about this Scheme should be sent in writing to the Publication Scheme Co-ordinator. If you have a complaint about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or how the Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust has dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to:

Publication Scheme Co-ordinator,
Information Governance Office
Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust,
Rectory Road,
Sutton Coldfield,
West Midlands. B75 7RR.

Rights of Access to Information

• At the present time, in addition to accessing the information identified in this Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust under the NHS Openness Code 1995. A link to this is available in Part Three of the Scheme and hard copies are available free of charge from the Department of Health at DOH Publications, PO Box 777, London SE1 6XH. Sometimes, some or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why not when this happens.
  
  
• 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 January 1st 2005 it will also oblige 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.
  
  
• Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact:
  
  David Philpott,
  Head of ICT Security
  Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust,
  Rectory Road,
  Sutton Coldfield,
  West Midlands, B75 7RR
  
  
• New Environmental Information Regulations have been introduced in 2003. These will enable similar access to environmental information as under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
  
  Requests for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 can be made in writing to the:
  
  Information Governance Office
  Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust
  Block 15,
  Rectory Road,
  Sutton Coldfield,
  West Midlands. B75 7RR
  
  Requests can also be made by emailing [email protected]
  
  The Publication Scheme Co-ordinator, responsible for providing information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 can be contacted on 0121 378 2211 ext 1423.
  

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