Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Trust to maintain a Publication Scheme. This is is a complete guide to the information routinely published by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We review the scheme at regular intervals and monitor how it is operating.

Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching 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 Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one).

The trust handles over 500 FOI requests every year. We have just 20 ‘working days’ to provide any information we hold – unless it is exempt – and we always strive to meet this target. If we require clarification for some or all of your request, the FOI clock will stop and we will restart once we have that clarification. If we need additional time, we will get in touch with you.

Data Protection and FOI

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, current Data Protection Legislation, GDPR, and Common Law. Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality is an important commitment on our part. The release of personal data is exempt under s.40 of the FOIA 2000.

However, under current Data Protection Legislation and GDPR, you are also entitled to access your own clinical records or any other personal information held about you by submitting a Subject Access Request.

Information management 

Information that falls into the seven classes described in our Publication Scheme will be managed in line with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching 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 organisational 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.

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 Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and/or the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015. 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 

Your opinions and comments are always welcome as “Your Opinion Counts”. If you have any feedback on this Publication Scheme, please contact us.

Complaining about our FOI service

If you have a complaint about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or about how Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has dealt with your request for information under the FOI Act, please contact the Communications Office on tel: 01302 644245

If you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.

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.

The Freedom of Information Act obliged the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to respond to requests about the information which it holds. 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, but it isn’t exhaustive.

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: dbth.pals.dbh@nhs.net

Apprenticeship Data

In accordance with key guidance from the Department for Education, we are required to make our apprenticeship data easily accessible to the public. With that in mind, you can find the relevant information via this link.


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