How to make a Freedom of Information request

How to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request

Before sending us a new request, please check our FOI Disclosure Log here in case we have already answered it for someone else.

All requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act must be made in writing either by email to:

rsc-tr.FreedomOfInformation@nhs.net

or by letter to:

Information Governance
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Egerton Road
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 7XX

or complete the form:

Re-Use of Information

Re-Use of Freedom of Information requests

The Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 came into force on 18 July 2015 - read about them here. The legislation requires public bodies to permit re-use of information they produce, hold or disseminate as part of their public task unless the information is restricted or excluded.

What does "re-use of information" mean?

"Re-use" of information means using the Trust's information, documents, databases etc. for a purpose other than the initial reason the information was produced for.

Before you make a request

The information you need may already be published on our website and be available for re-use so please check our Re-Use of Freedom of Information (FOI) Disclosure Log.

How to make a request?

If the information you seek is not already published and available for re-use, you can request it by e-mail:

rsc-tr.FreedomOfInformation@nhs.net or by post to:

Information Governance
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Egerton Road
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 7XX

Your request must be made in writing and include your full name and postal address. You should also clearly specify which document you require and the purpose for which the document will be used.

How long will it take?

We will respond to re-use requests promptly and no later than by the 20th working day beginning with the day after receipt. Where the requested documents are extensive in quantity or the request raises complex issues, we may take longer to respond to a request. In such cases we will notify you of the estimated delay time before the original due date.

Is there a charge for re-use of information?

You will normally be allowed to re-use our information free of charge. However we may ask you to pay a licence fee if it is justified by specific circumstances (e.g. a significant cost of making the information available for re-use; our contractual obligations towards third parties; or the type of information). Any applicable fees would be calculated in accordance with Regulation 15 of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, and we would notify you what factors were taken into account in the calculation of the charge.

How can I use the information?

As a default, we will allow re-use of our information under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL) - which you can read about here. Please follow the link and read the terms of the licence to learn what you can and cannot do with the information. If OGL is not appropriate (e.g. because of the type of information) we will notify you what conditions of the re-use will apply.

Can we refuse permission to allow re-use of our information?

We will usually allow you to re-use our information. However your request will be refused if:

access to the legislation is restricted or exempt under the information access legislation i.e. the Data Protection Act 1998 in line with Data Protection Legislation, Freedom of Information Act 2000 or Environmental Information Regulations 2004);
the information you have asked for is not held by the Trust as part of its public task;
a third party holds intellectual property rights to the information; or
the information contains personal data which must be protected.