Part 1 - Introduction

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 the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust easily.

Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme about the information it produces. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities (of which Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one).

The Freedom of Information Act does not change the rights of patients regarding the protection of their patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 (the right to privacy) of the Human Rights Act 1998, the Data Protection Act 1998, and common law. Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality is an important commitment on our part.

The safe and effective management of the Trust's Information Assets falls on two Senior Directors who act as:

• Caldicott Guardian, and
• Senior Information Ruisk Owner (SIRO)

The Caldicott Guardian for our Trust is:

Dr Robin Bolton, Trust Medical Director

• The Caldicott Guardian
  Is advisory
  Is the conscience of the organisation
  Provides a focal point for patient confidentiality & information sharing issues
  Is concerned with the management of patient information

Guardians have a strategic role, developing security and confidentiality policies, representing confidentiality requirements and issues at Board level, advising on annual improvement plans, and agreeing and presenting annual outcome reports.

Local issues regarding the release of Information will inevitably arise. They should always be referred to the Caldicott Guardian, or his deputy the Head of Information Governance, for resolution.

The Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) for our Trust is:

Kevin Turner, Director of Finance and Information

• The SIRO
  Is accountable
  Fosters a culture for protecting and using data
  Provides a focal point for managing information risks and incidents
  Is concerned with the management of all information assets
  

Roy G Underwood, Head of Information Governance acts as Deputy SIRO and Assistant and Deputy to the Caldicott Guardian.

Both roles are supported by the Information Governance Group.

All three staff can be contacted by writing to them through:

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Armthorpe Road
Doncaster
DN2 5LT

Information management

Information that falls into the 7 classes described in this Publication Scheme will be managed in line with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's retention and disposal schedules, which comply with DoH Records management Codes of Practice, Health Service Circular HSC1999/053 and Public Records Office guidance. Information that is not required for the business purposes of the Trust is stored at the hospitals or at a place of deposit approved by the Lord Chancellor for the purpose of holding public records.

Information Records Management is a key element of the work done by the Trust's Information Governance Group on behalf of the:

• Trust Caldicott Guardian and
• the Trust SIRO through the Trust Information Asset Owners (IAOs)

throughout the Divisional structure of our Trust.

It is our strategic goal to provide as much information as possible - from across all areas of our Trust - on this website. We have been working towards that goal since 2003 and we will continue to promote and develop this 'open access' route to the information that the Trust holds.

Your opinions and comments are always welcome as "Your Opinion Counts". You can always contact the FOI Team at foi.dbh@dbh.nhs.uk/ anytime.

Thank you 

Roy G Underwood, BSc, Dip IT, Cert IT & Comp (Open)
Head of Information Governance

Copyright & Public Sector Re-use

Any information provided under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 may be subject to Trust Copyright, e.g.: © 2006 Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and/or the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005: Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 1515.

You will be advised as to any conditions on copyright and the licensed re-use of any information we provide at the time of that Information's formal response and despatch.

Feedback

If you have any comment or feedback on this Publication Scheme, please contact the following address:  

Freedom of Information Team
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Armthorpe Road
Doncaster DN2 5LT
Tel: 01302 366666 or e-mail: contact@dbh.nhs.uk or foi.dbh@dbh.nhs.uk

Complaining about our FOI service

If you have a complaint about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or about how Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has dealt with your request for information under the FOI Act, please write to:

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service Manager
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Armthorpe Road
Doncaster DN2 5LT
Tel: 01302 366666 or e-mail: pals.dbh@dbh.nhs.uk

If you are still not satisfied you can complain to the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office in Wilmslow, England
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF 

telephone: 01625 545 745
fax: 01625 545 510
email:mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk 

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 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust under the NHS Openness Code 1995. Hard copies of the Code are available free of charge from the Department of Health, PO Box 777, London SE1 6XH . There may be occasions when some or all of the information you would like cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why not if this happens.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 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 service that are expected and the results achieved.

From 1st January 2005 , The Freedom of Information Act will also oblige Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to respond to requests about the information which it holds and is recorded in any form, and it will create rights of access to that information. These rights are subject to some exemptions that the Trust has to take into account before deciding what information can be released. The Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information that the Trust publishes.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your own clinical records or any other personal information held about you. To do this, you should contact:

The Medical Records Department, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Armthorpe Road, Doncaster DN2 5LT. 

Tel: 01302 366666 ext 3800

The Medical Records Department, Bassetlaw Hospital, Kilton, Worksop, S81 0BD .

Tel: 01909 500990 ext 2754

The Medical Records Department, Montagu Hospital, Adwick Road, Mexborough S64 0AZ. 

Tel: 01709 585171 ext 5218.

New environmental information regulations may be introduced soon. These will enable similar access to environmental information as is available under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  

Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS)

If you have any other problems or difficulty in accessing our scheme, please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on Tel: 01302 366666 ext 3140, or eMail: pals.dbh@dbh.nhs.uk