Freedom of Information Requests

Anyone, anywhere in the world, can make an FOI or EIR request to NHS Greater Manchester.

You can seek any recorded information that you think NHS Greater Manchester may hold.

You do not have to know whether the information you want is covered by the EIR or the FOI Act. When you make a request, we will decide which law applies. If the information is your own personal data, then you should make a subject access request under the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 not an FOI request.

Find out more information about how you can make a Subject Access Request.

FOI requests must be in writing and can be either posted or emailed to NHS Greater Manchester.

For postal requests, please send them to:

NHS Greater Manchester, Tootal, 56 Oxford St, Manchester M1 6EU.

Send email requests to nhsgm.foi@nhs.net

Please write “Freedom of Information” in the subject line of any FOI request.

EIR requests can also be submitted verbally or in writing, using the methods above.

The FOI team are unable to process subject access requests. Please visit ‘contact us’ to find the right contact details for subject access requests.

You do not need to:

• explicitly mention the FOI Act or EIR, although it may be helpful
• know whether the information is covered by the FOI Act or the EIR
• say why you want the information
• specify particular documents; you have a right to information, however it is recorded.

Comprehensive guidance on submitting requests is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office

Do:

• Clearly identify the information you want. Be clear about date ranges or timescales. If it is not clear what you are requesting, we may need to seek further clarification from you.
• Be as specific as possible. Ask questions such as “what” or “how much” as this is much more likely to result in a useful response.
• Use straightforward, polite language.

Do not:

• Use open-ended questions such as “why”. We do not have to answer your question if this would mean creating new information or giving an opinion or judgment that is not already recorded.
• Base your request on assumptions or opinions.
• Mix your request with complaints or comments.

We have a legal obligation to reply to your FOI or EIR request within 20 working days of receipt. We will do one of the following:

• Supply you with the information you requested.
• Inform you that we don’t hold the information and, if we are able, advise you who does.
• Inform you that we hold the information requested but refuse to provide all or part of it and explain why, citing one or more of the exemptions from the FOI Act or exceptions under EIR where relevant.

You can ask us for an internal review of your FOI or EIR request. When you write to us requesting an internal review, we will acknowledge your request and tell you how long the review will take. We aim to complete internal reviews within 20 working days, although cases that are complex may take longer. Where internal reviews go over 20 working days, we will keep you informed of progress.

If, after an internal review, you are still not satisfied you can then complain to the Information Commissioner. For details of how to do this visit the ICO website.

Full details of how to ask NHS Greater Manchester for an internal review will be included in our initial response to your request.

Details of how to complain further to the Information Commissioner will be included in our response to your internal review request.