Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services. Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients. In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research. We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit. Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’. The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients. We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS. Job overview The Information Governance Department processes a large number of applications to access information under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Working closely with other members of the Information Governance department and staff across the Trust, you will process requests for information, preparing disclosures for patients, staff, solicitors and courts. You will need to be hard working and show flexibility when required to manage the workload. You will need to prioritise tasks, often in the face of competing demands and ideally have a basic understanding of how the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are applied to these requests, though appropriate training will be provided for the right candidate. To succeed in this role; you will need to have excellent communication skills and the ability to develop working relationships with staff across the Trust, patients and members of the public. You must be well organised with excellent computer skills. The ability to work unsupervised with a high degree of accuracy while carrying out a variety of administrative tasks is essential. Main duties of the job The main purpose of the job is to process requests for information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Access to Health Records Act 1990. This includes: Collecting and opening post on a daily basis Logging requests for information into Trust systems Maintaining up-to-date tracking systems for every request Assessing what information is being requested Extracting information from Trust systems and databases Determining whether or not the requested information can be disclosed Sending health records to Clinicians for reports or consent Escalating requests to Senior IG Officers where necessary Forwarding requests to other departments/Specialties Making relevant copies of requested information Requesting consent from patients and collecting fees, where appropriate Packaging requested information for recorded delivery Answering enquiries in person, by telephone and via email Liaising with other members of the Information Governance team to ensure requests are processed within the statutory timeframe Working for our organisation Guy’s and St Thomas’ is one of the largest hospital trusts in the country, with around 22,000 staff; an annual turnover of more than £2.4 billion; and 2.2 million patient contacts a year. Our hospitals have a long and proud history, dating back almost 900 years, and have been at the forefront of medical progress and innovation since they were founded. We continue to build on these traditions and have a reputation for clinical, teaching and research excellence. We provide a full range of hospital services for our local communities and community services for patients in Lambeth and Southwark. We also provide specialist services for patients from further afield, including cancer, cardiac, kidney, women’s and orthopaedic services, and we are home to the Evelina Children’s Hospital. Since February 2021, Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals have become a new clinical group within Guy’s and St. Thomas’. See www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk. As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. We also have a positive approach to corporate social responsibility and are keen to engage our staff in an agenda that ranges from promoting environmental sustainability to the creation of local employment opportunities. Detailed job description and main responsibilities To process all information requests ensuring that they are correctly documented and entered onto the department database To be responsible for the accurate input and maintenance of confidential data on to the department’s database To monitor the database to ensure that no requests breach the statutory timescale To work flexibly to ensure that all information requests that are received by the Trust are processed lawfully. This will include liaising with other teams and departments and accessing health information in whichever media it is held To be able to liaise with the management team regarding information requests which are likely to breach the statutory timescale, to provide relevant information to as to the cause and to consider solutions To foster good working relationships with colleagues and where necessary arrange meetings with Clinicians or their secretaries, or FOIA Leads to ensure that it is appropriate to disclose information To be responsive to the needs of the customers of the Information Governance Department at all times and to provided them with a high quality and efficient service To participate in department development as appropriate and to participate in departmental meetings To strictly adhere to all departmental policies with regards to processing requests for information To ensure compliance with all relevant Trust policies and provide assurance on IG standards through audits Any other duties and tasks as may be required, appropriate to the level of the post. Person specification Education Essential criteria GCSE English and Maths or equivalent Level 2 - NVQ Customer Service Desirable criteria ECDL qualification Skills Essential criteria Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate over the telephone with a wide range of individuals including staff and patients. Ability to work to tight deadlines and meet targets. A high level of accuracy and attention to detail in order to ensure patient confidentiality and compliance with the Law Understanding of the Data Protection Act 2018 Understanding of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 Understanding of the Access to Health Records Act 1990 Understanding of Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice Understanding of Records Management: NHS Code of Practice Desirable criteria An understanding of issues relating to confidentiality and data protection. An understanding of issues relating to equal opportunities Experience Essential criteria Experience of working with Health Records, and knowledge and understanding of current records management guidance, targets, objectives and guidelines. Experience of working as part of a team Desirable criteria Experience using a Patient Administration System Experience of working in a Customer focused environment Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership. Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy. As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. Flexible working We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual’s personal circumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process. Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis. Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now." Applicant requirements The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions. Further details / informal visits contact Name Lee Jeremiah Job title Senior Information Governance Officer Email address [email protected] Additional information