Freedom of Information

Card index

There are three regimes that enable individuals to access information that NHS Sheffield holds. The Freedom of Information Act (FOI) gives individuals rights to have information about how public bodies function and make decisions and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) provides access to environmental information. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, individuals have a general right to request access to information about themselves and to be provided with a copy.

Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) gives any person a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. The Act sets out exemptions from that right and places a number of obligations on those authorities. For the purposes of the Act, NHS organisations are public authorities.

The aim of FOI is to promote greater openness in public authorities; about operational decisions and how public money is used. Any person who makes a request for information to NHS Sheffield will be informed if we hold the information and be supplied with a copy of it if requested, unless an exemption applies.

Accessing information using the publication scheme

Under FOI, public authorities are required to publish and maintain a publication scheme. The publication scheme is a list of the information held by the organisation, which is routinely available. It sets out the classes of information held and how it can be accessed. The purpose of the scheme is to enable significant amounts of information to be made available without the need for a specific request. NHS Sheffield aims to make much of the information it holds available online.
Go to the online FOI Publication Scheme

View the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (OPSI website)

Environmental Information Regulations

Under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) individuals can request access to environmental information held by public authorities such as NHS Sheffield. The regulations allow access in a similar way to the FOI Act except that requests can be made verbally as well as in writing.

View the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (OPSI website)

Requests for information

If you cannot find the information you are looking for on our website you can make a specific request to the NHS Sheffield. FOI requests should be in writing, which includes email, and should be sent to the FOI team at:

Freedom of Information Team
722 Prince of Wales Road
Sheffield
S9 4EU
Email: shef-pct.foi@nhs.net

Applicants should include their name and an address for correspondence, which includes an email address. Requests should be as specific as possible to enable us to process your request. It can be useful to include a telephone number in case we need to contact you but this is not a requirement. While we cannot specify a format of application we have found that is more efficient both for NHS Sheffield and applicants to process requests and supply information electronically. Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests can be submitted in writing as above or by contacting the FOI administrator on 0114 30 51100.

Disclosure log

NHS Sheffield publishes all its responses on a disclosure log which can be accessed here.

Data Protection Act

Requests for personal information under the Data Protection Act
Requests for information should be directed to the service which holds the information. Where this is not known, or a number of services are involved, enquiries can be directed to the Information Governance lead at:

722 Prince of Wales Road
Sheffield
S9 4EU
Tel: 0114 305 1000

View the Data Protection Act 1998 (OPSI website)

Freedom of Information