This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. It is a description of the information about our Trust which we make publicly available. We shall review the scheme at regular intervals and monitor how it is operating.
It is important to us that this scheme meets your needs and we have designed it to be a route map so that you can find information about the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust easily. Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (there is a link to the Act in Part Three below), the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of trust information. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities (of which Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust is one).
The Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information which the Trust publishes. The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of patients to protection of their patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, the Data Protection Act and at common law. Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part. To help with this, we have appointed someone who is called a Caldicott Guardian, and who has the responsibility to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality throughout the Trust in accordance with your legal rights.
In The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, our Caldicott Guardian is:
Mr Richard Davies
Portman Clinic
8 Fitzjohn's Avenue
London
NW3 5NA
Tel: 020 7435 7111
Information Management
Information falling into the Classes will be retained in line with the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust's retention and disposal schedules, which comply with circular HSC1999/53 and Public Record Office Guidance.
Information not required for the business purposes of the Trust is stored at the Trust and at a place of deposit approved by the Lord Chancellor for the purpose of holding public records.
Any questions, comments or complaints about this scheme should be sent in writing to the Chief Executive of the Trust at the Tavistock Centre, 120 Belsize Lane, LONDON, NW3 5BA and if you have a complaint about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or how the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust has dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to the same person.
At the present time, in addition to accessing the information identified in this Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust under the NHS Openness Code 1995. A link to this is available in Part 3 of the Scheme and hard copies are available free of charge from the Department of Health. Sometimes, some or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why not when this happens.
The Freedom of Information Act recognises that as a member of the public, you have the right to know how public services such as the NHS are organised and run, how much they cost and how you can make complaints if you need to. You have the right to know which services are being provided, the targets that are being set, the standards of services that are expected and the results achieved.
From January 1st 2005 it will also oblige the Trust to respond to requests about the information which it holds and is recorded in any form and it will create a right of access to that information. The rights to request and access this information are subject to some exemptions which the Trust has to take into consideration before deciding what information can be released.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you may also request access to your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact Pat Key, Director of Central Services at the Tavistock Centre, 120 Belsize Lane, LONDON, NW3 5BA to do this.
