The Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to access recorded information held by public sector organisations.

Anyone can request information – there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live.

Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings.

The Freedom of Information Act does not change the rights of patients to protect their confidentiality. If you want to see information the Trust holds about you, you can make a subject access request to see your records.

Before you make a request

You might not need to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to get the information you need. We might be able to give you the information straight away, including on our website.

Use our Publication Scheme to find information we proactively publish.

What to include

All requests must be made in writing, either by email or letter. It would help us if you could include the following information when making a request:

•    Name 
•    Email or correspondence address
•    A full and concise description of the information required

Submit a request by email to krft.foienquiries@nhs.net 

When you will get a response

We will respond to your request within 20 working days. If it is likely that we will not meet this deadline, we will tell you as soon as possible.

Costs

Most requests are free, but you might be asked to pay a small amount for photocopies or postage. We will tell you if you must pay anything.

Exemptions

Some sensitive information is not available to members of the public. If this applies, we will tell you why we cannot give you some or all of the information you requested.

We might ask you to be more specific so we can provide just the information you need.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request can also be turned down if it will cost more than £450 to find and extract the information.

Using AI to help draft information requests

AI tools can be helpful, but they can also introduce errors or create overly complex requests that increase the burden on public bodies and cost to the taxpayer.

When using AI to help draft an information request, please make sure the final wording has been checked and reflects your actual information needs.

Before you submit a request or secondary correspondence, please check that:

  • You are only asking for the information you are genuinely looking for. AI tools sometimes generate broad or excessive wording that goes beyond the information you actually want or need.
  • The request is clear, concise and focused.
  • Short, straightforward requests are easier for us to process and usually lead to quicker, more accurate responses.
  • There are no obvious factual inaccuracies.
  • AI can misrepresent legislation or misstate what organisations do. Please review the text of your request carefully and don’t assume AI is right. If it has referred to something you don’t understand, check what it is.
  • The tone is appropriate. AI-generated content can sometimes sound abrupt, or otherwise inappropriate. Please check the tone before sending.

Why does this matter?

We are seeing an increase in requests and secondary correspondence that appear to have been drafted by generative AI. These can require additional clarification because of inaccuracies or unnecessary complexity. This creates delays for both requesters and our teams.

This advice comes from the Information Commissioner’s Office, the regulator for FOIA and EIR in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.