Eastern HSS Council Website

This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by the Eastern Health and Social Services Council (hereafter referred to as the Council). It is a description of the information about the Council which we make publicly available. We will review the Scheme at regular intervals and monitor how it is operating.

It is important that this Scheme meets your needs and we have designed it so that you can easily find information about the Council. Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/2000036.htm) the Council has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of the Council’s information. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities (of which the Eastern Health and Social Services Council is one).

The Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information which the Eastern Health and Social Services Council 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 at common law. Maintaining confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part. To help with this, we have an officer who has responsibility to ensure the protection of individuals’ confidentiality in accordance with your legal rights. In the Eastern Health and Social Services Council, this officer is:

The Publication Scheme will be available in hard copy and may be found on our website www.ehssc.org.

1.2 Feedback, Comments and Complaints

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

If you have a complaint about the operation of the Scheme or how the Council has dealt with your request for information listed in the Scheme please write to the Chief Officer at the above address. The Chief Officer will investigate the complaint and provide you with a reply, normally within 20 working days of receipt of the complaint. A leaflet outlining the Council’s complaints procedure is available on request.

If you are not satisfied with the reply you may contact the Council Chairman (the Chairman can be contacted through the Council Office).

If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction you may refer your complaint to the Information Commissioner’s office which is independent of the Council. The Information Commissioner’s address is as follows:

More information about the Freedom of Information Act 2000 can be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

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 the Council under the Code of Practice on Openness in the HPSS (1996). A link is available on our website www.ehssc.org in Part 3.4 of the Scheme (Publications) and a hard copy is available free of charge from the Strategic Planning and Modernisation Group, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Castle Buildings, Stormont, BELFAST, BT4 3SJ, telephone 028 9052 2669. Sometimes, some or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons when this happens. The Code of Practice on Openness can be viewed on the internet at www.ehssb.n-i.nhs.uk

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 1st 2005 the Freedom of Information Act will also oblige the Northern Health and Social Services Council 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 that the Council 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 Office Manager.

The Council’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 are 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.

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.

Requests for information, whether made in person or in writing, must be answered promptly. An acknowledgement must be sent within 2 working days and, where possible, the information should follow within 20 working days.

If the information is not to be provided, an explanation must be provided within 20 working days of receipt of the request.

Unless otherwise specified, the version of the document(s) available will be the most recently approved by the Council.

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