Publication Scheme
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YMDDIRIEDOLAETH GIG CEREDIGION A CHANOLBARTH CYMRU CEREDIGION AND MID WALES NHS TRUST FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 PUBLICATION SCHEME YMDDIRIEDOLAETH GIG CEREDIGION A CHANOLBARTH CYMRU CEREDIGION AND MID WALES NHS TRUST FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 PUBLICATION SCHEME Welcome to the Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust Publication Scheme. The Publication Scheme is in three parts, as follows: PART ONE: Introduction PART TWO: The Classes of Information that we hold PART THREE: Inspection and Monitoring Bodies, Index to the Publication Scheme, and Useful Resources PART ONE: Introduction Welcome • What a Publication Scheme is NHS Wales includes a number of statutory organisations (NHS Trusts, Local Health Boards and Community Health Councils), which are accountable to the National Assembly for Wales and the Minister for Health and Social Services for the performance of their health functions and for meeting their statutory financial duties. The National Assembly for Wales together with NHS Trusts, Local Health Boards and Community Health Councils and General Practitioners, Dentists, Pharmacists and Opticians providing NHS services are individually required to provide a Publication Scheme under the Freedom of Information Act. This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust, how this information is published and whether any fee is payable for access. 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 Publication Scheme meets your needs and we have designed it to be a route map so that you can find information about Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust easily. Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (there is a link to the Act in Part Three below), the Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust information. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities (of which Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust is one). The Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information that 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. Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust - Freedom of Information Act 2000 Publication Scheme 1 In Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust, our Caldicott Guardian is: Mr Stephen Griffiths Director of Nursing and Patient Services Trust Management Offices Bronglais General Hospital Aberystwyth Ceredigion SY23 1ER Information Management Information falling into the Classes will be retained in line with the Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust’s policies whereby information is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS Wales guidelines. Information required for the business purposes of the Trust is stored at the Trust. Advice and assistance Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust will provide advice and assistance to anyone regarding this Publication Scheme. Please contact the Project Officer (details below) for further information. If you require specific assistance due to any disability or learning difficulty, we will provide all reasonable advice and assistance with your query. • Feedback Any questions, comments or complaints about this Scheme should be sent in writing to Stephen Forster Director of Finance Trust Management Offices Bronglais General Hospital Aberystwyth Ceredigion SY23 1ER e-mail: [email protected] If you require copies of this Scheme, any of the information mentioned in it or any advice and assistance, please contact: Sharon Taylor Project Officer IT Department Bronglais General Hospital Aberystwyth Ceredigion SY23 1ER e-mail: [email protected] Direct line: 01970 635409 Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust - Freedom of Information Act 2000 Publication Scheme 2 If you have a compliment or complaint about how the Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust has dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to: Allison Williams Chief Executive Trust Management Offices Bronglais General Hospital Aberystwyth Ceredigion SY23 1ER • Rights of Access to Information Freedom of Information Act • The Freedom of Information Act recognises that everyone has the right to know how public services such as NHS Wales 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 Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust will also have to respond to requests about the information that it holds and a right of access to that information will be created. 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. Code of Practice on Openness • At the present time, in addition to accessing the information identified in this Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust under the Code of Practice on Openness in the NHS issued by the Welsh Office in 1995. Hard copies are available from the NHS Wales Department of the Welsh Assembly Government. Sometimes, some or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why not when this happens. Data Protection Act • 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 Matthew Poole, Data Protection Officer, to do this. Matthew Poole Data Protection Officer IT Department Bronglais General Hospital Aberystwyth Ceredigion SY23 1ER e-mail: [email protected] Direct line: 01970 635403 Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust - Freedom of Information Act 2000 Publication Scheme 3 Welsh Language Scheme • Each Trust, along with other NHS organisations, is obliged to have adopted a Welsh Language Scheme which has been approved by the Welsh Language Board in accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993. A copy of our Welsh Language Scheme is included in Class 5. The Publication Scheme is available in Welsh and English and we will identify what information is available in the Welsh language. Information that is available bilingually will be designated by “Φ”. Environmental Information Regulations • The Environmental Information Regulations which came into force in 1993 set the standard for the release of information about the environment in which we live and work. These are likely to be strengthened within the next eighteen months under a European Union Directive. Until the new Regulations come into force, information relating to the Environment can be requested using the existing regulations and the Code of Openness. This document is also available in Welsh. When dealing with requests under the Freedom of Information Act, we will withhold information that is exempt under that Act or is personal, confidential information about individuals and is protected by the Data Protection Act 1998. This does not affect your rights to information requested under the Data Protection Act 1998. Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust - Freedom of Information Act 2000 Publication Scheme 4 PART 2 THE CLASSES OF INFORMATION The information is grouped into broad categories as follows: 1. The NHS and how we fit 2. Who we are 3. Financial and Funding Information 4. Corporate Information 5. Welsh Language Scheme 6. Aims, Targets and Achievements 7. Our Services 8. Reports and Independent Enquiries 9. Principal Policies and Procedures 10. Public Involvement and Consultation 11. Regular publications and information for the public 12. Complaints 13. Human Resources 14. Communications with the Press and Media Releases 15. Environmental Information 16. This Publication Scheme We will state how you can obtain the information outlined within each Class and whether a Welsh translation is available. This Publication Scheme is available in Welsh and English. Where information is available in both English and Welsh it will be designated by “Φ”. Information will be available via the website (www.ceredigion-tr.wales.nhs.uk), as a hard copy or through other media as state within each Class. The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated within each Class [£]. Where information is provided at a cost, the charges will be calculated as set out in Class 16. Any document available on the website, transmitted electronically or provided on CD ROM or Floppy disk will be provided as a .pdf file. This means the recipient will need Adobe Acrobat Reader ™ to view it. Please visit www.adobe.com to download a copy. The Trust accepts no responsibility for any problems encountered in the access, download and use of this software. The Trust’s commitment to publish information excludes any information that can legitimately be withheld under the exemptions set out in the Code of Practice on Openness or the Freedom of Information Act. Where individual Classes are subject to exemptions, the main reasons relate to the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. This applies to most Classes within the Publication Scheme. If you require copies of any of the information mentioned in this Publication Scheme, please contact the Project Officer or the Director of Finance.