BCH Publication Scheme About the Trust Publication Scheme

Welcome to Belfast City Hospital Trust Publication Scheme. The Scheme is in three parts:

Part 1: Introduction

1.1 What a Publication Scheme is

This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by Belfast City Hospital Trust. It is a description of the information that we make publicly available. We will 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 Belfast City Hospital Trust easily. Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act is available from HMSO ), Belfast City Hospital 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 Belfast City Hospital Trust is one).

The Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information that the Trust publishes. The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of individuals to confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Act (1998), the Data Protection Act (1998) and in common law. Maintaining confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part.

To help with this, we have appointed an officer who has responsibility to ensure the protection of individuals’ confidentiality in accordance with your legal rights. In Belfast City Hospital, this officer is:

1.2 Feedback

Any questions or comments about this Scheme, or its operation, should be sent in writing to:

If you have a complaint about the operation of the Scheme or how the Trust has dealt with your request for information from the Scheme please write to:

1.3 Rights of Access to Information

At the present time, in addition to accessing the information identified in this Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about Belfast City Hospital Trust under the Code of Practice on Openness in the HPSS (1996). Hard copies of this Code of Practice are available free of charge from the DHSSPS Records Liaision Officer, Office of the Deputy Secretary, Room D4.29, Castle Buildings, Stormont, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SF. Sometimes, some, or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons when this happens.

The Freedom of Information Act enables you to know how public services such as the Health & Personal Social Services (HPSS) are organised and run, how funds are used 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 1^st 2005, Freedom of Information Act 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, individuals are also entitled to access any personal information held about them (subject to certain exceptions) and you can contact the Data Protection Manager.

Revised Environmental Information Regulations may be introduced in the future. These will enable similar access to environmental information, as under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Unless otherwise specified, the version of the document(s) available will be the most recently approved by Belfast City Hospital Trust.

To comply with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, this publication scheme will be made available on request in alternative formats as appropriate.

The HPSS and where we fit in
Who we are
Financial and Funding Information
Corporate Information
Aims, Targets and Achievements
Our Services
Reports and Independent Enquiries
Policies and Procedures
Public Involvement and Consultation
Communications with the public
Complaints
Human Resources
Environmental Information
This Publication Scheme

We will state how you can obtain the information outlined within each Class. This will be either via the web site or as a hard copy or other media as stated within each Class. The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated within each Class. Where information is provided at a cost the charges will be calculated as set out in Class 14, this will be kept under review.

The Trust’s commitment to publish information excludes any information which can legitimately be withheld under the exemptions set out in the Code of Practice on Openness in the HPSS or the Freedom of Information Act. Where individual classes may be subject to exemptions, the main reasons are e.g. the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. This applies to most Classes within the Publication Scheme. The Publication Scheme is available in hard copy from:

The Director of Planning
Belfast City Hospital Trust
Lisburn Road
BELFAST
BT9 7AB

Class 1 The HPSS and where we fit in

Class 2 Who we are

Class 3 Financial and Funding Information

Class 4 Corporate Information

Reports, policies, minutes of Board and Board Sub-committee meetings and planning documents

Class 5 Aims, Targets and Achievements

Financial targets, aims and objectives and key performance indicators. See also Class 9 below.

Class 6 Our Services

Class 7 Reports and Independent Enquiries

Class 8 Policies and Procedures

Class 9 Public Involvement and Consultation

Details of consultation procedures, decision-making processes, timescales and responses. Consultations in progress and how you can become involved.

Class 10 Communications with the Public

Class 11 Complaints

Class 12 Human Resources

Our estate and land holdings, and the uses they currently enjoy. Information required to be placed in the public domain as a result of the Environmental Information Regulations, any Environmental Enforcement action and associated information (see also Introduction to Publication Scheme).

Class 14 This Publication Scheme

In this class we will publish any changes we make to this Publication Scheme, our information management policies and a referral point for all enquires regarding information management generally in the Trust. We will also publish any changes or additions to publications already available under this Publication Scheme.

For the most part, we will charge you only for hard copies or copying onto media (e.g. CD ROM). Some information is available free, but for others there may be a charge. The charges will vary according to how information is made available. Charges are as follows:

Via the Trust’s Web Site –Free of charge, although any charges for Internet Service provider and personal printing costs would have to be met by the individual. For those without Internet access, a single print-out as on the website would be available by post from:

However, requests for multiple printouts, or for archived copies of documents which are no longer accessible or available on the web, may attract a charge for the retrieval, photocopy, postage etc. We will let you know the cost and charges that will have to be paid in advance. We will not provide printouts of other organisation’s websites.

Leaflets and brochures - free of charge for leaflets or booklets on, for example, services we offer to the public. Details of how to obtain these will be specified in each section.

“Glossy” or other bound paper copies, or in some cases a CD Rom, video or other mediums, may be charged for. We will let you know the cost and charges that will have to be paid in advance.

The material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to the Trust’s copyright unless otherwise indicated. Unless expressly indicated on the material to the contrary, it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium, provided it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading manner. Where any of the copyright items in this Scheme are being re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source of the material and acknowledge the copyright status. Permission to reproduce material does not extend to any material accessed through the Publication Scheme that is the copyright of third parties. You must obtain authorisation to reproduce such material from the copyright holders concerned.

For HMSO Guidance Notes on a range of copyright issues, see the HMSO web site: www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm

or contact:
HMSO Licensing Division
St Clements House
2-16 Colegate
Norwich
NR31BQ

Part 3: Inspection and Monitoring Bodies, Index to the Publication Scheme, and Useful Resources

3.1 The bodies involved in the monitoring and/or inspection of HPSS services include:

DHSS&PS
Northern Ireland Audit Office
Environmental Health Officers
General Medical Council
Radiology – Radiation and Inspection Unit
NI Hospital Advisory Service
NI Mental Health Commission
Medical Physics Agency
Royal College of Medicine
Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Paediatrics
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Health and Social Services Councils
Confidential Inquiry into Maternal Deaths
Confidential Inquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy
Confidential Inquiry into Perioperative Deaths
Designated External Auditors (currently Price Waterhouse Coopers)
Internal Auditors (Beeches Management Centre)
Queens University Belfast
University of Ulster.

3.2 Index

An index is provided at the end of the Publication Scheme to facilitate searching of, and access to, the information made available under the Publication Scheme.

3.3 Useful Resources

Records Liaision Officer
Officer of the Deputy Secretary
Room D4.29
Castle Buildings
Stormont
BELFAST
BT4 3SL