Freedom of information
Last updated: Tuesday 17 September 2024The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is to promote greater openness by public authorities.
Freedom of information requests can be made by:
Email: whh.foi@nhs.net
By post: FOI, Executive Offices, Kendrick Wing, Warrington Hospital, Lovely Lane, WA5 1QG.
Please note Freedom of information do not process medical records. For information on how to access your medical record, please visit the accessing medical records page.
What can I request?
You can seek any recorded information that you think the Trust may hold.
If the information is environmental, the Trust will respond according to the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.
You do not have to know whether the information you want is covered by the EIR or the FOI Act. When you make a request, the Trust will decide which law applies.
If the information is your own personal data or you are a solicitors who has been given consent by your client to access their personal data, then you should make a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018, and not under the FOI Act.
How should I word my request?
Comprehensive guidance on submitting effective requests for information is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office. However, to frame an effective request for the information you need to consider the following:
- Clearly identify the information you want. Be clear about date ranges or timescales. If it is not clear what you are requesting, the Trust may need to seek further clarification.
- Be as specific as possible. If your request is too general, it may be refused on the grounds that replying would exceed the cost limit laid down in the Fees Regulations, which is equivalent to one person working for three and a half days. If this happens, the Trust will ask you to re-submit a narrower, more specific request which could be met within the cost limits and give you advice and assistance to do so.
- Avoid using open-ended questions such as “why”. The Trust does not have to answer your question if this would mean creating new information or giving an opinion or judgment that is not already recorded.
- Do not mix your request with complaints or comments.
What information must I include in my request?
The FOI Act requires certain information to be supplied before the Trust can respond to your request:
- Your real name - the Trust does not have to respond to requests submitted under a pseudonym
- Your address (email addresses are acceptable)
- A description of the information you wish to obtain; and
- Any preferences for the format in which you wish to receive the information, e.g. electronic or hard copy. The Trust will endeavour to meet your preferences but cannot guarantee that it will be able to.