Freedom of Information

You have the right to see most of the information that we produce.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to recorded information held by public bodies and this includes NHS organisations which are paid for and operated on behalf of the public.

Cost of information

In this Publication Scheme, all the electronic information which is downloadable from our website is provided free of charge for personal use. Where information is only available in hard copy there may be a charge for the cost of copying and postage.

For those without Internet access, a single page printout from the website is available free of charge by post from our Communications and PR Department.

Where a request is received for multiple printouts, or for archived copies of documents which are no longer accessible or available on the web, this may attract a charge for retrieval, photocopy and postage. The cost and charges that will have to be paid in advance will be made known to the requester. Leaflets and brochures, such as those on services we offer to the public, will be provided free of charge.

Copyright

Please see rights of access to information below, where you wish to re-use information in this publication scheme for commercial gain. Permission to reproduce material does not extend to any material accessed through the publication scheme that is the copyright of third parties. You must obtain authorisation to reproduce such material from the copyright-holders concerned.

The material available through this publication scheme is subject to South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust copyright unless otherwise indicated. Unless expressly indicated on the material to the contrary, it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading manner. If any of the copyright items in this publication scheme are being re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source of the material and acknowledge the copyright status.

For guidance on a range of copyright issues, please visit the Office of Public Sector Information website.

Responsibilities

Although we make available a large amount of information through our publication scheme, the Freedom of Information Act does not override a patient’s right of confidentiality. Your rights to confidentiality are protected under Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

Our Information Governance Manager, who is also the Trust, Data Protection Officer has responsibility for Freedom of Information matters and monitors overall compliance with data protection legislation across the Trust.

Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality continues to be an crucial commitment. To help achieve this, we have appointed someone who is called a Caldicott Guardian (see Responsibilities) who has responsibility to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality throughout the Trust in accordance with your legal rights.

Right of access to information

The Freedom of Information Act 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; how you can make complaints; to find out which services are being provided and; the targets that are being set, including the standards of services that are expected and the results achieved.

We are also obliged to respond to requests about the information held in any recorded form and the Act creates a right of access to this information. 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.

Under the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005, you may re-use information for commercial gain in this Publication Scheme or other information supplied under a Freedom of Information request.