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The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is a significant step forward in opening up to public scrutiny the workings of national and local government and a whole range of other public bodies.
It provides a statutory right of access to recorded information held by public authorities, such as NHS Hounslow, and entitles people to:

The Act gives a number of exemptions that state when information can be withheld. Some of these are subject to a public interest test, but as a matter of principle NHS Hounslow will release information wherever possible. However, if we decide that an exemption does apply, we will explain the reasons. There is an appeal process.

How to make a request for information

Requests for information must:

On receipt of a request we will:

Is there a charge for information?

Part 2 of our publication scheme sets out the classes or types of information that we hold. If it will take eighteen hours or more for us to collect that information we may charge or decline to meet the request. The charge will be £25 per hour for extracting, collating and presenting the information into any preferred format. In all cases we may charge postage costs. If there is a charge you will be contacted in advance and told how much this will be. Any charge will be payable in advance.

Is there a charge for Publications or Documents?

Part 3, our list of publications and documents, supports the publication scheme. It lists the specific items we make available, how they can be obtained and whether they are free or if we will ask you to pay a charge.

Free of charge on website — all the documents you can download  from our website are available to you with no charge made by us. You will, of course, have to meet any charges made by your Internet Service Provider and/or telephone company as well as any personal costs for printing, photocopying etc.

For those without access to the Internet, we will provide a single printout of an individual document, as shown on the website, free of charge from the above contact address.

Chargeable on website — requests for us to provide multiple printouts from our website will attract a charge. The cost will be £25 per hour of the cost of meeting with the request, together with photocopying costs (currently 0.5p per sheet) and postage. We will let you know the cost when we receive your request.

Free of charge hard copy — indicates a leaflet, booklet or periodical which is published by us without charge though we may charge for postage and packing.

Chargeable hard copy — indicates a bound paper copy, DVD, CD, cassette or other product charged as shown in our publication list.

Where a charge applies, the cost and the reasons for levying such a charge will be made known to you. Any charge will be payable in advance.

How long does it take?

For most requests we have 20 working days to respond after receiving an application. It may take longer if clarification of the request is needed or if a charge is to be made.

What if a request for information is denied?

If we deny an application for information you may apply for a review of this initial decision. The Associate Director of Corporate Affairs will arrange for a review that will be independent of the original decision maker. Requests for a review should be sent in writing to:

Associate Director for Corporate Affairs
NHS Hounslow
Sovereign Court
15-21 Staines Road
Hounslow 

TW3 3HR

If you are not satisfied with the decision after this review, a further request can be made to the Information Commissioner who will decide whether the request was dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. To view the Information Commissioner’s website click here.

Responsibilities for the HPCT Publication Scheme
Our Communications Manager has overall responsibility for our Publication Scheme.

Contacting us
If you wish to make a request for information or obtain a hard copy of our Publication Scheme or any of the publications contained in our list of publications in Part 3, you may write to us at:

Communications Manager
NHS Hounslow
Sovereign Court
15-21 Staines Road
Hounslow 

TW3 3HR

Fax: 020 8630 3415

Email:foi@hounslowpct.nhs.uk

Comments about the Publication Scheme
If you have any comments on our Publication Scheme or feel that the Scheme could be improved, please write to our Communications Manager at the address shown above.

Complaints about the Publication Scheme
If you think we have not supplied information in accordance with our Scheme, then you should write to the Communications Manager at the address shown above.

We aim to deal with your complaint within 5 working days. If you are dissatisfied with the response you can ask for the matter to be internally reviewed. We aim to complete an internal review and respond to you within 15 working days.
If, after the internal review, you remain dissatisfied then you can complain to the Information Commissioner.

Review of the Hounslow Primary Care Trust Publication Scheme
We will review our Publication Scheme in 2010.

Copyright
Different bodies might own the copyright of material contained in our scheme:

Hounslow Primary Care Trust copyright material
For material where we own the copyright, it can be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium for research, private study or for internal circulation within an organisation. This is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and not being used in a misleading context. Where material is being republished or copied to others, the source of the material must be identified and our copyright acknowledged.

Other copyrighted material
Some material we include in our Scheme may be the copyright of a third party. Our rights to hold and use such material do not extend to others. You must obtain authorisation from the copyright holder(s) concerned if you wish to copy or reproduce such material.

REQUESTS FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you already have a statutory right to have access to personal data we hold about you on computer or in a structured manual file (i.e. on paper). You also have the right to expect us, as the data controller, to ensure that data is:

For the purposes of the 1998 Act, “personal data” is information that relates to a living identifiable person. The person or organisation who controls the purpose and manner in which data is processed is the “data controller”. More information on the Data Protection Act can be found on the website of the Information Commissioner www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk or from the address given below.

Information where Hounslow Primary Care Trust is the Data Controller
Where we are the data controller, you are entitled to be told whether we hold data about you, and if we do:

You are also entitled to a copy of the information with any unintelligible terms, acronyms or codes explained. You will also be given any information available to us on the source of the data. The data will be in its latest form.

If you wish to apply for access to your personal data, known as “a subject access request”, you should write to us at the above address. A fee of £10 must accompany your request together with proof of your identity. We also need to be supplied with the details needed to locate the information you seek. A request for access to personal data will be dealt with promptly and in any event within 40 days of receipt of the request and payment of the fee.

If you consider that a request by you for access to your personal data has not been dealt with properly, you may:

The Information Commissioner is empowered to assess whether there has been a failure to comply with the 1998 Act. The Commissioner can issue enforcement proceedings if satisfied that there has been a contravention of the data protection principles. The Commissioner can also recommend that you apply to court alleging a failure to comply with the subject access provisions of the 1998 Act. The court may make an order requiring compliance with those provisions and may also award compensation for any damages you have suffered as well as any associated distress.

Information where Hounslow Primary Care Trust is not the Data Controller
In many cases it is GPs or hospitals and not HPCT who hold personal information. If that is the case we will do everything we can to help you identify the data controller. Requests for personal data regarding West Middlesex University Hospital can be made through (weblink)

REQUESTS TO HOUNSLOW PRIMARY CARE TRUST UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION REGULATIONS
If you wish to make a request for information under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), you should write to the Communications Manager at the above address.