The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives members of the public the right to request recorded information from public authorities. The purpose of the Act is to promote openness and transparency in how public services operate.
As a member of the public, you have the right to know how organisations such as the NHS are organised and run, how services are delivered, how public money is spent, and how you can raise concerns or complaints if needed. You can request information about services provided, standards and targets, and how performance is measured.
We are committed to providing information wherever possible and to making it clear, accessible and easy to find.
If after reviewing our website and Publication Scheme, you are unable to find the information you are looking for, you can submit a Freedom of Information request by emailing: FOIRequests
How to make a Freedom of Information request?
If you require information under the Freedom of Information Act, please first check whether the information is already available through the organisations Publication Scheme.
If the information is not available, your request must be made in writing. You can do this by:
Email: FOIRequests
Post: Access to Information Team 1st Floor (Rear), Aintree House, Aintree University Hospital, Lower Lane, Liverpool, L9 7AL
All requests must include your name and a contact address for correspondence. Please provide as much detail as possible to help us identify the information you are seeking.
What will happen when I have made my request?
We will acknowledge all requests and assess whether they are valid. This means confirming that the request:
- Is made in writing
- Includes a name and contact address
- Clearly describes the information being requested.
If the request does not clearly describe the information sought, we will contact you to ask for clarification.
We will then check whether the organisation holds information relevant to your request. If we do not hold the information, we will let you know as soon as possible and, where appropriate, try to direct you to another organisation that may be able to help.
Where we do hold relevant information, we will normally provide it within 20 working days of receiving the request.
In some circumstances, all or part of the information requested may be withheld. If this applies, we will explain the reason why.
The Freedom of Information Act includes exemptions that may apply in certain situations. Where it would take more than 18 hours to locate, retrieve and extract the information requested, the organisation may refuse the request under the statutory cost limit.
Before refusing a request on this basis, we will work with you where possible to explore whether the request can be refined so it can be answered within the legal limit.
Under the act every public authority must produce a Publication Scheme which is essentially a guide to the information a public authority routinely publishes or intends to publish. The Publication Scheme reduces the administrative burden of dealing with individual requests as well as demonstrating to the public a commitment to openness. Anybody wishing to see Trust documents should first access the Publication Scheme to see if the document they wish to view is available there. If the information you require is not in our Publication Scheme, you can make a specific request for that information.
If you need a hard copy of the Publication Scheme, please contact: Freedom of Information Lead Information Governance Department Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust Crown Street Liverpool L8 7SS Tel: 0151 702 4207 or email: FOI@lwh.nhs.uk
