Freedom of Information (FOI)
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires all public authorities, including the NHS, to publish information about that organisation. These pages contain information routinely published by the Trust under the Trust's publication scheme.
On this page
Guide to information
Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a publication scheme for publication of the Trust’s information.
About the publication scheme
The publication scheme is a guide to the information routinely published by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust has adopted the Information Commissioner’s Model Publication Scheme and describes the types of information which we make publicly available.
Our publication scheme explains what information we provide to the public and, where possible, we will make it easy for you to access. The information is classed into the following categories:
We are a large hospitals Trust, with five hospitals and a number of community clinics serving around 700,000 people in east Kent. We also provide some specialist services for a wider population, including renal services in Medway and Maidstone and a cardiac service for all of Kent based at William Harvey Hospital, Ashford.
Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our vision and values.
Go to about us for more information.
Further information can be found in the Trust's latest annual reports.
The Trust's Constitution outlines the principal purpose of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.
Download the Trust's ConstitutionOrganisational structure
See our structure for more information.
List of information relating to organisations with which the authority works in partnership
Go to about us for more information. Our latest annual reports also provide more detailed information regarding partnership working.
Senior staff / management board members / governing body members
View our structure or access details of our Board of Directors and Council of Governors.
Location and contact details for all public facing departments
Our services provide details of services offered by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and all relevant contact information.
Annual statement of accounts and Annual Report
The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust is required to lay its annual reports before Parliament in June each financial year. At the same time the Trust is required to submit the laid Report and Accounts to its independent regulator, NHS England. The Annual Report and Accounts are published and presented to the public at the organisation’s annual members meeting.
A copy of the East Kent Hospitals Charity Annual Report and Accounts can be accessed in our annual reports.
Financial statements, budgets and variance Reports
Financial performance is reported to the Board of Directors, which meets monthly, in public. You can access our latest performance reports or our end of year financial statements within our annual reports.
Financial Audit Reports and Capital programme
The Trust’s External Auditors issue an Annual Audit Letter to the Trust summarising the findings from their audit of the Trust’s financial statements and the results of work undertaken to assess arrangements the Trust has in place to secure value for money in use of resources. The Annual Audit Letter is published within our annual reports.
Capital expenditure is reported to our Board of Directors monthly meeting, held in public, and in our annual reports.
Procurement and tendering procedures
Tendering procedures are included within the Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions.
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust is subject to the European Union (EU) procurement directives that apply to purchases of goods, services and works which are above set monetary thresholds.
Details of contracts currently tendered;
List and value of contracts awarded and their value;
Unfortunately, we are unable to publish this information due to commercial confidentiality. However, required information will be considered by the Trust on a case by case basis. Please contact us.
Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs)
This document provides a formal framework for the conduct of the Trust's business and regulates the conduct of its members, employees and agents in relation to all financial matters.
Download our latest Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs)Staff and Board Members allowances and expenses
This information is published within the Trust’s annual reports. A copy of the Board of Directors’ expenses is published quarterly.
Staff pay and grading structures
All staff (except Executive Directors and very senior managers) are employed on either Agenda for Change or Medical and Dental terms and conditions. The NHS England website contains the most up to date details on pay terms and conditions.
Funding (including endowment funds)
How the Trust is funded is included in our annual reports.
Parking revenue
Download our Parking Revenues FAQ documentList and value of contracts
The Trust routinely publishes details of contracts, invitations to tender and procurement frameworks that exceed £25k. See our transparency in spending information below for the latest reports.
Transparency in spending
East Kent Hospitals is committed to meeting Government transparency requirements in relation to how we spend our money.
Each month we will publish information on the payments we make to our suppliers.
As from January 2021 the reports include full details of all invoices over £25,000.
June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024For older reports, please email the FOI team on ekh-tr.FOI@nhs.net
This section will provide details of how to access the Trust’s strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews.
Annual report and accounts
View the latest Trust’s annual report and summary financial statements.
Strategic plans
View our latest Strategic Plans and Strategies on our annual reports.
Targets, aims and objectives / strategic direction
The Trust’s Operational and Strategic Plans provide details of the Trust’s Objectives and Strategic direction. The latest Trust annual reports provide performance against achievement of objectives for the previous year.
The Trust's Integrated Performance Report is reported to the Board of Directors, in public. It includes performance against objectives and is reviewed by the Board of Directors at each meeting.
View the Trust’s vision, mission and values.
Reports by Regulatory organisations
Follow the links below to access East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust's latest regulatory reports:
Care Quality Commission website
Audit report / Declarations of compliance
The Independent Auditor's opinion on the Summary Financial Statements can be found in the Trust's Annual Report and Summary of Financial Statements.
See our declarations of compliance on our annual reports.
Service user surveys
Environmental Sustainability
View our Environmental Sustainability
Declarations and compliance documents
A copy of the Trust's Constitution, authorisation documents and compliance statements can be accessed on our annual reports.
Board of Directors and Board Committee structure
View the Trust’s Board minutes and agendas and public meeting dates
View the Board Committee Structure and terms of reference.
Council of Governor and Committee structure
View the Council of Governor Meeting papers and dates of public meetings
View the Council of Governor Committee structure.
Patient, public engagement and experience strategy
We want everyone who comes to East Kent Hospital’s sites to feel that the care and treatment they receive is the best. The Trust’s Patient Voice and Involvement Strategy is aligned to the Trust’s Quality and Safety strategy.
Public consultations
Details of any public consultations are available on our website.
To view a copy of some of our policies, please visit our policies.
Board of Directors register of interests
You can view the latest Register of Interests on the Board of Directors page.
Council of Governors register of interests
You can view the latest Register of Interests on the Council of Governors page.
Gifts and hospitality
To obtain a copy of any of the above, please contact our Trust secretary.
List of main contractors/suppliers
To receive information, please contact us.
Asset registers and information asset register
Requests will be considered on an individual basis, please contact us.
The 'Services' and 'Information for patients & visitors' sections of our website contain details of the following services provided by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust:
corporate communications and media releases.
A list of the Trust's services is also published with the Trust's annual reports.
Make a Freedom of Information request
To make a Freedom of Information request, please complete our FOI request form.
To request access to medical records, please contact our Access to Records department.
The Freedom of Information Act obliges the Trust to respond to requests about information which it holds and is recorded in any form. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities. These rights are subject to some exemptions which the Trust has to take into account before deciding what information can be released.
If you would like to ask if an FOI has already been requested, or request copies of any of our FOI responses, please contact us. All requests must be made in writing and must state the following:
Requester's name
Requester’s address (this can be an email address)
Details of the information required.
Please post your request to:
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Offices
Kent and Canterbury Hospital
Ethelbert Road
Canterbury
CT1 3NG
More details on the Trust’s processes for managing Freedom of Information requests can be found in our Freedom of Information Policy.
Please note that under the Freedom of Information Act, all requests must be made in writing. You must also provide your real name and an address to which our response can be sent (for example, an email or postal address).
Advice and assistance
If you require Freedom of Information advice, or assistance in formulating a request, please email ekh-tr.FOI@nhs.net. Please be clear that your request is for preliminary advice or assistance, and not a request for information.
The Information Commissioner's Office has a guide on how to access information from a public body which you may also find useful.
Patient confidentiality
The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of patients to protection of their patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, the Data Protection Act and at Common Law. Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part.
To help with this, the Trust has appointed a Caldicott Guardian who has the responsibility to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality throughout the Trust.
The Trust also has a SIRO who is concerned with identifying and managing the information risks to the organisation. This includes acting as a champion for information risk on behalf of the Board and provision of advice to the Chief Executive on the content of the Trust’s Statement of Internal Control in respect of information risk. The Department of Health guidance states that “the SIRO should be an executive or senior manager on the Trust Board".
The Trust’s Caldicott Guardian is:
Dr Des Holden, Chief Medical Officer
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Offices
Kent and Canterbury Hospital
Ethelbert Road
Canterbury
CT1 3NG
The Trust’s Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) is:
Director of Finance and Performance Management
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Offices
Kent and Canterbury Hospital
Ethelbert Road
Canterbury
CT1 3NG.
Rights of access to information
In addition to accessing the information identified in this Publication Scheme, any member of the public is entitled to request information about the Trust, under the NHS Openness Code 1995.
The Freedom of Information Act recognised that members of the public have the right to know how public services such as the NHS are organised and run, how much they cost and the complaints process. Members of the public have the right to know which services are being provided by the Trust, the targets that are being set, the standards of services that are to be expected and the results achieved.
FOI reuse and copyright
We retain copyright to all information we disclose to you and any information we supply to you under FOIA should be for your personal use.
Information released under FOI can be re-used free of charge under an open government licence. A copy of this licence can be found on the National Archives website.
Other information may incur a marginal cost under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations before re-use is allowed. Information that can be transmitted to you electronically will not incur such a cost.
Information management
Information falling into the Classes we define will be retained in line with our retention and disposal schedules, which comply with circular HSC1999/53 and Public Record Office Guidance.
Our FOI compliance
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust should, as a matter of best practice, publish details of their performance on handling requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.