Subject access requests, Access to your Health Records, and Freedom of Information requests during the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust is committed to complying with 'Right of Access' requests made under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, however, the NHS is facing unprecedented challenges relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the current time, and our resources have been prioritised to support our front-line colleagues who are working tremendously hard to provide care for our patients.

The Information Commissioner's Office has recognised the current situation in the NHS as being out of the ordinary.

While it is always our aim to be transparent and to work with a culture of openness, at this time, the care of our patients and the safety of our staff takes precedence. As a result of our prioritisation on supporting front-line colleagues, it is likely that responses to requests for information or records will be delayed, and it may sometimes take up to three months to respond to a subject access request. Therefore, please can we ask that you consider if your request is still required or can be delayed until after the this pandemic is over.

We apologise for this in advance, and will endeavour to provide you with as much information as we can, as soon as we are able.

If you have a complaint linked to how we are dealing with requests, please contact the Trust Data Protection Officer at ekhuft.dataprotectionofficer@nhs.net