We publish and respond to requests for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI). To assist you in looking for information, the Trust has produced a Guide to Information, which is available on this website, in accordance with requirements issued by the Information Commissioner's Office.
If the information you require is not accessible on our website, please send your request:
Freedom of Information Lead Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust The Great Western Hospital Marlborough Road Swindon SN3 6BB
We aim to provide you with the information you need within twenty working days. If this is not possible, we will tell you why. Most of the information requested can usually be provided free of charge.
If you require access to personal information about you held by the Trust, you can contact the Health Records Department.
Requesting your health records
If you are going to make a request for information to the Trust there are some things you should consider first. Trust staff will only be able to deal with your request if they have a clear understanding of what you need.
When you make your request please explain which information you are trying to find out about.
If you know exactly what you want, be specific about the material you need. If the information is within a range of dates or a specific timescale, please include this in your request. If you need background material, remember that the Trust's record keeping is extensive and information about the subject you have requested may be contained within a large number of documents. Requests asking the Trust for 'everything you have' about a subject will mean that we have to contact you to clarify your request.
If you are asking for a lot of material it may be more than we can cope with. Our policy is to release as much information as possible without charging a fee. If it will cost the Trust more than £450 to deal with an FOI request, we do not have to provide the information.
Factors we are allowed to take into account in deciding whether a request is too big are:
The rule of thumb is that if it takes more than two and a half days of staff time to deal with your request, it will exceed the £450 FOI cost limit. You may therefore be asked to clarify your request to reduce the amount of information required or it will be refused.
If you are seeking to re-use information held by the Trust, e.g. by publishing it on your own website for commercial gain, you will need to apply to the Trust for a licence. There is normally a charge for such re-use of Trust information; the amount will depend on the quantity and complexity of information involved and the duration of the licence.