Freedom of Information publication scheme

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives you the right to obtain information held by public authorities, such as NHS Oldham, unless there are good reasons to keep it confidential.

We are obliged to provide information in one of two ways:

• Through a publications scheme
• In response to requests made under the FOIA’s general right of access.

Read more about accessing information from a public authority on the Information Commissioner’s Office website:  www.ico.gov.uk

Freedom of Information categories

Who we are and what we do

• About NHS Oldham
• Our vision and commissioning priorities
• The board 
• The senior management team

Useful links

• Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
• Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Christie NHS Trust
• Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Tameside Hospital NHS Trust
• Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust
• Oldham Council
• Oldham Partnership
• Brook (young people sexual health services)
• Mind (mental health)
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Oldham Drugs and Alcohol Action Team (Oldham DAAT)
• Age Concern
• Stroke Association

See also:

• NHS Plan About the Department of Health
• Department of Health - Secondary Care 
• Department of Health - Freedom of Information
• National Operating Framework 

What we spend and how we spend it

• Annual Reports and Annual Accounts from 2002/03 to 2009/10
• Health and well-being developments
• Commissioning publications 
• Staff pay and grading structure
• Payment by results – Department of Health
• NHS Oldham’s standing financial instructions, standing orders and schemes of delegation – February 2009

What our priorities are and how we are doing

• Annual health check 2007/08
• NHS Oldham operational plan
• Strategic Services Development Plan III
• Annual Reports 2002 / 03 to 2009 /10
• Public Health reports 2003 to 2010
• Oldham joint strategic needs assessment – concise
• Joint strategic needs assessment 2008 - full
• 2007/08 national patient experience survey results
• NHS Oldham commissioning publications

How we make decisions

• Patient and public involvement (PPI)
• Internal communications
• Schedule of board meetings
• Board agendas and papers
• Healthy futures response
• Making it better response
• Annual Report 2002 / 03 to 2009 /10 
• NHS Oldham commissioning documents

Our policies

All of NHS Oldham's policies are available here.

Lists and registers

• Register of interests
• Register of gifts/hospitality
• Disclosure log
• List of main contractors and suppliers (to be added shortly)
• Asset register (to be added shortly)
• Senior salary information

 The services we offer

• Your local services
• Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
• Compliments, complaints and suggestions
• Oldham Community Health Services
• News releases

 Classes of information not generally available

• Information, the disclosure of which is prevented by law, exempt under the FOIA, or otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure
• Information in draft form
• Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

Costs

The purpose of the FOI scheme is to make the maximum amount of information available at minimum inconvenience and cost to the public. As a result, wherever possible, information is available on this website.

Any charges made by NHS Oldham for routinely published material will be justified, transparent and kept to a minimum. Charges may include covering the cost of, for example:

• Photocopying and printing – 20p per copy
• Postage and packaging – 2nd class postage
• Reformatting – calculated at £25 per hour, plus the additional cost of reproduction in anything other than paper format
• Costs directly incurred as a result of viewing information
• A Subject Access Request (SAR) (for example access to medical records) costs from £10 to £50.

If a charge is to be made, confirmation of payment due will be given before the information is provided. Payment may be requested prior to the provision of the information.

The FOIA also sets an appropriate cost limit for providing information, which is £450. If a request is likely to breach this cost, or take more than 18 working hours to deal with, then the applicant will be notified and, where available, options to reduce the costs may be required.

Written requests

Information held by NHS Oldham that is not published under this scheme can be requested in writing, when its provision will be considered in accordance with the FOIA.

Please write to:

Freedom of Information Officer
NHS Oldham
Ellen House
Waddington Street
Oldham
OL9 6EE

Email: olp-pct.foi-oldham@nhs.net