How to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act
1. Please check our Publication Scheme to see if it contains the information you require.
2. If you still haven’t found what you are looking for then please make a request to us in writing either by letter or email. Under FOI, the Trust cannot accept a verbal request for information.
3. Ensure that you include a contact name and address in your request. This can be a postal or email address, so we know where to forward your response.
4. Try to include as much detail as possible in your request about the information you require. This helps us when processing your request.
5. Please be aware that the Act operates an appropriate cost limit. The Trust can apply a charge to your request if the time and resource taken to provide your information exceeds that limit. If this is the case the Trust will provide you with a fees notice and/or advise that you narrow the scope of your request.
For further details on the Freedom of Information Act 2000, exemptions, the appropriate cost limit and more please visit the Information Commissioner’s website.
Write to:
Corporate Information Compliance Team, 1st Floor (Rear), Aintree House, Aintree University Hospital, Lower Lane, Liverpool, L9 7AL
Send an email to the team: FOIRequests
Liverpool University Hospitals will acknowledge all requests and consider if the request is valid i.e. is in writing, includes a name and contact address, and clearly describes the information being requested. If the request doesn’t describe what information is required we will seek clarification.
We will then check to see what information we hold that relates to your request. If we do not hold any relevant information we will let you know as soon as possible and we will try to direct you to where you might be able to access the information.
If we hold relevant information, generally we will supply it within 20 working days from receipt of the request.
If some or all of the requested information cannot be provided we will tell you the reason for this.
There are some exemptions set out by the Act which the Trust takes into account before deciding if information held can be released. Where it will take more than 18-hours to locate, retrieve and extract the information to respond to your request then the Trust is entitled to refuse the request.
Before refusing a request on this basis, we will work with you to look at other ways of providing the information so that your request does not exceed the statutory limit set by the Act.
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is permitted to charge for the supply of information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and Data Protection (DP) (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004, and Regulation 8 of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.
The cost limit imposed under FOIA and DP legislation is £450, for NHS organisations, which is calculated at £25 per person per hour (regardless of who does the work), this equates to 18 working hours.
As there is no upper cost limit or charging schedule imposed by EIR the Trust relies on and uses the time limit and fees afforded to FOIA as a reasonable guide.
If the information can be retrieved/collated within this limit, there will be no charge applied to the request.
The time taken to decide whether any exemptions apply, to redact exempt information or to carry out a public interest test should not be included within the 18 hours calculation. However, if the resources required to review and remove any exempt information, is likely to be so great as to place the Trust under a grossly obsessive burden, then it may be possible to consider the request under Section 14 of the FOIA or Regulation 12(4)(b) of the EIR instead.
Under Section 16 of the FOIA, the Trust has a duty to work with applicants to keep compliance costs to a minimum so we will advise any applicant, what information the Trust is able to provide free of charge.
Where a fee is to be charged, notice will be given asap, or in any case within 20 working days of receiving the request.
If payment is not received within three calendar months of issuing the fees notice, the request will be considered closed. If the applicant still wishes to receive the information, this will be treated as a new request.
If you are not happy with the information the Trust has provided, you have the right to request a review of our response.
In the first instance this should be addressed to:
Corporate Information Compliance Team, 1st Floor (Rear), Aintree House, Aintree University Hospital, Lower Lane, Liverpool, L9 7AL
Alternatively, you can email: FOIRequests
If you ask for a review and are dissatisfied with the outcome, under Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act, you then have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner:
The Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113 (Helpline) Fax: 01625 524 510
Email: mail
Further information on the Freedom of Information Act is available from the following websites:
