The Freedom of Information Act 2000 reflects the Government’s commitment to promote greater openness. The Act’s purpose is to ensure that all areas of public bodies, including the NHS, are open and transparent. South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust recognises that the public have the right to know how the services are organised and run.
Please consider if your request for information is absolutely necessary to submit at this time. Any request that can be deferred or delayed will allow staff time to be focussed on other areas.
Submitted requests for information may be delayed due to urgent operational responses dealing with Public Health priorities. The Trust apologises for any inconvenience this may cause. The Trust does remain committed to responding to your request and will reply as soon as possible.
Should the Trust’s response to your request breach the statutory timeframe and you remain unhappy with the Trust’s response you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. They can be contacted at the following address:
- The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
- Website: www.ico.org.uk.
The Environmental Information Regulations are an alternative way of requesting information, when the information requested relates to the environment. These regulations will be applied instead of the Freedom of Information Act if we consider this to be the case.
The Act is fully retrospective and applies to all information, not just information filed since the Act came into force. South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2019 following the merger of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust. Information requests prior to this date will be provided separately for the previous Trusts.
The Trust’s Freedom of Information Act 2000 Policy (including Environmental Information Regulations 2004)
However, the public authority does not have to provide the requested information if an exemption applies, the request is vexatious or similar to a previous request, or if the cost of compliance exceeds an appropriate limit. If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request an internal review by writing to Freedom of Information Office at the address below. Please remember to quote the reference number provided.
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
- The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
- Website: www.ico.org.uk.
There is no charge for making an appeal.
The Commissioner’s Office will not normally hear a complaint until the internal complaints procedure has been completed.
FOI requests in relation to Covid-19
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust strive to be transparent and to work with an open culture. At the current time some administration and clerical resources have been diverted to support our front-line colleagues who are working extremely hard to provide care for our patients, and to those in need of our services and therefore it may take longer than usual to respond to requests for information.
The Trust has received a high number of Freedom of Information requests in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. NHS England publish a significant amount of information relating to Covid-19 which is updated regularly. Please check the information available on the websites listed below before requesting information under the Act.
Covid-19 Deaths:
Under Section 21 of the Act we are not required to provide information in response to a request if the information is already reasonably accessible to requesters. The information you requested is available from:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/
This information is updated on a regular basis and is exempt under Section 22 of the Act.
Covid-19 Hospital Activity:
Under Section 21 of the Act we are not required to provide information in response to a request if the information is already reasonably accessible to you. The information you requested is available from:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/
This information is updated on a regular basis and is exempt under Section 22 of the Act.
All hospital recorded deaths:
Under Section 21 of the Act we are not required to provide information in response to a request if the information is already reasonably accessible to you. The information you requested is available from:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/shmi/2020-12
This information is updated on a regular basis and is exempt under Section 22 of the Act.
Bed Availability and Occupancy Data – Overnight:
Under Section 21 of the Act we are not required to provide information in response to a request if the information is already reasonably accessible to you. The information you requested is available from:
This information is updated on a regular basis and is exempt under Section 22 of the Act.
Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Reports 2020-21: (bed numbers)
Under Section 21 of the Act we are not required to provide information in response to a request if the information is already reasonably accessible to you. The information you requested is available from:
This information is updated on a regular basis and is exempt under Section 22 of the Act.
Access to medical records
Under the Data Protection Act 2018, patients have the right to request access to their own medical records under a Subject Access Request without charge, including situations where they give consent for a third party such as a solicitor or insurer to access the data. If you wish to apply for access to medical records, please click here
Access to personal data
For information on how to access to personal data, please click here
How to make a request under FOI
How to make a request under FOI
If you want to request information that is not available via our publications, you can do so in writing. Please provide us with your full name and contact or email address, a clear description of the information you want and the format you wish to receive it in, i.e. email or post.
Requests can either be made or by post to:
Freedom of Information Office
Harton Wing
South Tyneside District Hospital
Harton Lane
South Shields
NE34 0PL
Or by email to Stsft@infreemation.co.uk
Alternately you can click here to complete an FOI form.
When making a request, we would be grateful if you could specifiy the nature of your request in the subject line of an email or the subject text box of the online form.
PLEASE NOTE - from 1 April 2023 the Trust is using a new FOI system. If you have submitted a request, you should have received an automatic reply from the email address above, confirming receipt and providing you with a reference number. If you have not received this, please email stsft.freedomofinformation@nhs.net
Feedback
So that we can continue to improve our service, your feedback is extremely valuable to us as it helps us identify and address problems and to develop good practice. You can find the survey here: Feedback Satisfaction Survey.
Publication scheme
You can find out more about our Publication Scheme here
