Band 3 Freedom of Information Support Officer

A vacancy at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. The Information Governance (IG) Department are looking for a Freedom of Information (FOI) Support Officer as a permanent member of the team. You will effectively manage FOI requests in-line with the FOI Act. You will liaise with departments to provide accurate, relevant and prompt responses with deadlines and provide guidance to staff to understand their role and responsibilities in the FOI process, and the importance of meeting deadlines. You will also provide advice and assistance to FOI/EIR applicants including how to access information from the Trust.

On a daily basis you will log and respond to all FOI requests promptly via email mailboxes and relevant spreadsheets. Initial requests will be triaged with key requests escalated to relevant teams and departments for responses. Once FOIs are resolved, you will liaise with the Information Governance Manager and the Communications team to resolve more complex FOI issues. You will also provide support to the Head of Information Governance and Health Records in handling internal reviews, complaints and appeals regarding FOI requests.

You will need a good working knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act and are looking to develop your skills and knowledge. You should be a motivated and enthusiastic professional with a good level of interpersonal and communication skills. Knowledge and experience of Information Governance principles and relevant legislation in a healthcare setting will be highly desirable. This is an ideal development role for any candidate looking to gain experience in data protection and the practical application of relevant law.

Our team’s role is to enhance and protect the Trust’s reputation; to develop, deliver and advise on the right tools, methods and channels to enable the Trust to be at its best; and to empower and engage our staff to deliver the best possible care. Our mission as a Communications & Engagement team is to inspire and empower our communities (both internal and external) through outstanding communications and engagement, demonstrating openness, honesty and transparency, which is where our handling of Freedom of Information comes in.

Your role is to contribute to the management and coordination of Freedom of Information requests across the Trust to ensure that they are managed and responded to in an accurate, appropriate, timely and effective way. Working with the Freedom of Information Lead Officer, you’ll provide support and advice on the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act to Trust staff and respond to requests for information. You ideally should have previous experience or a basic understanding of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and associated legislation; however, this is not essential.

You will be asked to keep up to date with awareness of recent developments and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) decisions in relation to the application of the Freedom of Information Act. Good communication and teamwork are essential for success in the role. You’ll need to be confident in a range of communication skills to correspond with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure commitment to a high level of customer service and reputation of the team. You’ll need to be disciplined, organised, resilient and tenacious. We receive a large number of requests, so you will be able to keep on top of the volume of work; commission (and chase) colleagues to help find the answers, and compile the written responses. You’ll need good database management skills for entering and chasing up requests to ensure good compliance with the ICO’s targets. Being personable and persuasive is important too – this job is about working in partnership, particularly inside the Trust, which means building strong relationships and getting colleagues to understand and provide what’s required.

We’re an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we’re proud of and our patients are happy with. We’re no longer in special measures; we’ve opened two new theatres at our Elective Surgical Hub in King George Hospital (KGH); and, in recognition of our progress, we’ve been shortlisted for Trust of the Year at the Health Service Journal Awards. We operate from two main sites – KGH in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 330,000 people visiting them last year. We’re campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen’s and get rid of corridor care. Our patients are benefitting from our Women’s Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub. These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and are providing an extra 94,000 scans a year. The majority of our 8,000 staff – who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups. More than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We’re proud to be a London Living Wage employer. We’re looking forward to introducing an electronic patient record that will be transformative for our staff and beneficial for our patients.

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification. The person specification listed below is not the full specification requirements for the role; please review the full specification on the job description prior to submitting your application. Applicants are advised to read all the information on the advert and the supporting information before completing and submitting an application. Demonstrate how you meet the criteria in the person specification in the supporting information section of the application form. All new staff appointed at the Trust are subject to a probationary period.

Applications should be made online. If you require any adjustments (for applicants with a disability) or have queries regarding the application process, please contact Sarah Wood, Recruitment Advisor, on 01708 435000 ext. 4188. Further details regarding the post may be obtained by contacting the manager as per the contact details above.