Response to Fiona Edwards , CEO of Surrey & Borders Partnership NHS Trust

Sigh! I have just received the following e-mail from Fiona Edwards , CEO of the Surrey & Borders Partnership Trust.

What Fiona appears to be saying is that she and her staff do not have to act professionally or inside the law when dealing with Freedom of Information Requests from service users and members of the public as they can keep dodging their responsibilities by bureaucratic means as there are no consequences for them jerking people around like this.

Unfortunately, from the moment Ms Edwards and her managers voted behind the scenes to cut their disabled workers pitiful £3 a day payments without even consulting them and have them work for nothing they have been on a hiding to nothing and blaming everyone but themselves for their dumb and horrendously expensive PR disaster.

It seems Ms Edwards was never taught its bad form to rip off people less able and fortunate than herself. Ditto for Cawsey . Now, after taking more expensive advice from the Trust's lawyers , these two obviously think enough time has passed to start messing people around with their bureaucratic nonsense again.

Wilhelmina Cox
PA to the Chairman and Chief Executive
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust
18 Mole Business Park
Leatherhead
Surrey KT22 7AD

Tel 01372 205821 Email: Wilhelmina.cox@sabp.nhs.uk

Our Ref FE/wc 2 February 2007

Dear Des Curley

Further to your email of 24th December to Wilhelmina Cox, you have raised a number of concerns about the way in which your FOIA requests have been dealt with, including the alleged distortion contained in my letter to Jill Goble.

Additionally you have also requested a formal apology and recompense for your time in submitting your FOIA requests and asked that this be acknowledged as a formal complaint.

FOIA requests fall outside the NHS (Complaints) Regulations. However if you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your FOIA requests, you have the right to appeal and in the first instance, this should be to the Head of Healthcare Systems, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust, Elaine Gould on 01737 281046 or Elaine.Gould@sabp.nhs.uk

It is my recommendation therefore that we consider your e-mail of the 24th December as an appeal under the Freedom of Information Act. This would be forwarded to Elaine Gould, Head of Healthcare Systems to investigate.

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome you can write to the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, Telephone No: 01625 545700.

I would be grateful of your confirmation to proceed in this manner.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely
Fiona Edwards
Chief Executive

Copy: Elaine Gould