Publication Scheme

Requests for information must be made in writing. Telephone requests cannot be accepted. We accept requests in the form of:

• Letter
• Email

Send your request to:

Freedom of Information Requests
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Information Governance
Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
Haslingden Road
Blackburn
BB2 3HH 

Or email: foi@elht.nhs.uk

You must include your full contact details, stating in what format you would like to receive the information.

We will send you confirmation of the request, including a reference number, which you should quote in any communication with us relating to your request. We will also tell you when you should expect a reply, which, under the terms of the Act, has to be within 20 working days.

In some cases it will be necessary to charge you for the information. If a charge is required, you will be issued with a fees notice, which you must pay within 3 months. If this is not paid, we will not provide you with the information you requested. If the charges for the request exceed the set upper limit of £450, we will give you some assistance as to what information could be provided to bring the cost below the limit.

Under the terms of the Act some of the information you request may be exempt from disclosure. If this is the case, we will inform you as to what information we will and will not disclose, including what exemption/s have been applied.

Occasionally, our response may take longer than the 20 working days prescribed in the Act because of applying exemptions.

If this is the case we will inform you, giving you a date by which we hope to have replied. If any further delays occur, we will advise you of them as necessary.

Once payment (if required) has been made, we will send you the information requested, provided it is held by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and is not exempt from disclosure. We will try to supply the information in the format you requested, as far as possible.

If we know that the information is held by another public authority, we can transfer your request and contact details to the authority. If you do not want us to do this, then please let us know and we will supply you with relevant contact details of the other public authority so that you can make the request yourself.

If you do not think that your request for information has been handled satisfactorily, you have the right  to have an internal investigation carried out into the way your request has been handled. Complaints should be directed to:

Head of Information Governance/Data Protection Officer
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Information Governance
Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
Haslingden Road
Blackburn
BB2 3HH

The information sent to you is subject to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust's 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.

Where any of the copyright items are being re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source of the material and acknowledge the copyright status. Permission to reproduce material does  not extend to any material provided to you that is the copyright of third parties. You must obtain authorisation to reproduce such material from the copyright holders concerned.

For HMSO Guidance Notes on a range of copyright issues, see the National Archives website or contact:

The National Archives,
Kew, Richmond,
Surrey, TW9 4DU

Tel: 020 8876 3444

These policies and procedures can be accessed by contacting foi@elht.nhs.uk

The Policy Master Index can be accessed here.