Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 allows anyone to ask for and request access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities.
The Act promotes openness, honesty and transparency within the public sector and can go hand-in-hand with Duty of Candour and our own aspirations of being an open and honest organisation.
Requests for personal information, such as medical records, should not be made as Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Please see the ‘Subject Access Request’ section below for more details including an email address for the team.
Access requests
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 allows anyone to ask for and request access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. We manage FOI requests in line with guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office.
Your can submit a Freedom of Information request by emailing the team BHRUT.FreedomOfInformation@nhs.net
Or you can write to:
Freedom of Information
Communications and Engagement
1st Floor Neutral Zone, Queen’s Hospital
Rom Valley Way
Romford
ESSEX
RM7 0AG
Information provided in response to Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases the copyright holder will be Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust or the NHS (guidelines at https://www.cla.co.uk/nhs-england-licence). The copyright in other information may be owned by another person or organisation, as indicated.
Information released under FOI can be re-used free of charge under an Open Government Licence. A copy of this licence can be found here.
Access your health records (Subject Access Request)
Data protection legislation gives individuals or their authorised representative the right to apply for copies of any personal information held about them by the Trust.
If you wish to access your personal information held at any of the Trust’s health centres, clinics or other sites, please email bhrccgs.accesstohealthrequest@nhs.net
If you are seeking copies of your child’s health records, you will also need to supply proof of your child’s identity and your parental responsibility. Access to health records legislation allows us to share health records of a deceased person with authorised representative(s) or any person who may have a claim arising out of that person’s death. If you are requesting personal information about someone who has died you will need to supply a copy of their death certificate and proof that you are the executor or a beneficiary within the last will and testament.
You can also request health records by post to:
Subject Access Team
Health Records Department
1st Floor Blue Zone, Queen’s Hospital
Romford
ESSEX
RM7 0AG
Finding information about our Trust
Our publication scheme contains all the information we routinely publish and is a good place to start your search.
Before making a FOI request, please search our disclosure logs to see if your question has been answered before.
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 allows anyone to ask for and request access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities.
The Act promotes openness, honesty and transparency within the public sector and can go hand-in-hand with Duty of Candour and our own aspirations of being an open and honest organisation.
Requests for personal information, such as medical records, should not be made as Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Please see the ‘Subject Access Request’ section above for more details including an email address for the team.
Request response times
We aim to respond to your request within 20 working days. If we are unable to provide the information within that time, we will contact you and give you an estimate of how much longer the request will take.
Exemptions to the Act
There are some exemptions to the Act, for example, if the request relates to personal information or information intended for future publication.
When an exemption is considered appropriate, we will explain to you why this decision has been taken, and any further steps you can take. Further information about exemptions can be found on the Information Commissioner's Office website.
Requests can also be refused if the time taken to investigate whether we hold the information exceeds a cost of £450. In this case, we will contact you to establish whether you wish to:
- pay the cost
- amend the request so that it costs less than £450
- no longer proceed with the request.
Charges
We are entitled to charge for the copying and postage of material, but we will usually absorb these costs. If we do consider charging you, we will let you know first.