Freedom of Information
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 services that are expected and the results achieved.
In order to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 public sector organisations such as ours have to routinely publish information whenever possible. The rights of access to information are subject to some exemptions which the PCT has to take into account before deciding what information can be released. If you make a request and we are unable to release some or all of the information, we will explain this to you.
Accessing NHS Coventry information
As an open and transparent organisation we are committed to routinely publishing as much information as possible and most of the information we make routinely available can be accessed via our publication scheme or website. There may be other information which is not listed in our publication scheme or on our website that you would like to obtain, if so, you can make a request for any information held by the PCT which is not already included in the publication scheme. If you would like to make a request, it must be made in writing to the PCT either by letter or e-mail.
Please send Freedom of Information requests by emailing foi@coventrypct.nhs.uk or by letter to:
The Freedom of Information Officer
NHS Coventry
Christchurch House
Greyfriars Lane
Coventry
CV1 2GQ
How we will respond
We are required under the Act to deal with requests within 20 working days and will make every effort to provide you with a copy of the information requested. It may be necessary to ask you a few questions to make sure that we provide you with what you want and there may be some documentation which we are not allowed to release, for example:
- Commercially sensitive information
- Information the PCT’s received in confidence
- Any information held in Court records
If you make a request and are not satisfied with the way in which we deal with it, you may ask us to review any decision we make.
If you wish us to undertake such a review, you should write to the Assistant Chief Executive below:
Karen Railton
Assistant Chief Executive
NHS Coventry
Christchurch House
Greyfriars Lane
Coventry
CV1 2GQ
Publication scheme
You can obtain information from NHS Coventry such as; minutes of meetings, papers for PCT board meetings and PCT policies on various topics.The publication scheme is a guide that tells you what is available and how to get the information.
Please click on the below link to view the Publication Scheme.
Publication Scheme 2010
Fees and Charges
As a general rule, anything listed in our Publication Scheme is available free of charge if providing one copy in paper-format, if it is downloaded from our website or sent electronically. However, we are allowed to charge for disbursements (eg. photocopying and postage) related to the provision of information and any formatting requested by the applicant, or if the amount of time taken to locate, collate and process the information exceeds 18 hours. Advance notice will be given of any charges that may be made.
If you want any further information about the provision of information or have any difficulty accessing information provided on our website, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer.
- PCT
Primary Care Trust. A PCT is responsible for commissioning the most appropriate services for the local community.