Social Neworking

Dear Mr Thomas

The Freedom of Information request showing on What Do They Know, does not
appear to have been received by this Trust. It has not arrived in the
Information Governance Office or been received into our FOI email inbox.

Please could you let me know to whom or where was this addressed? Was it
in the form of a paper letter or email?

Yours sincerely

Sharon

Miss Sharon Rowland

Deputy Information Governance Manager

Room Q101

Health Records

RD&E Hospital Wonford

Barrack Road

EXETER EX2 5DW

Direct Dial: 01392 406229

Direct Fax: 01392 402609

Email: [1][email address]

The statements and opinions expressed in this email and any attachments
are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Royal
Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust does not automatically take
any responsibility for the views of the author(s).

The information in this email and any attachments is confidential and is
intended for the attention and use of the addressee(s). It must not be
disclosed to any other person without our authority. If you are not the
intended recipient, you are not authorised to and must not disclose, copy,
distribute or retain the contents, nor may you act upon or take reliance
from them.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

Dear Mr Thomas

Your email does not make sense? What text above?

Sharon
Miss Sharon Rowland
Deputy Information Governance Manager
Room Q101
Health Records
RD&E Hospital Wonford
Barrack Road
EXETER EX2 5DW

Direct Dial: 01392 406229
Direct Fax: 01392 402609
Email: [email address]

The statements and opinions expressed in this email and any attachments
are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Royal
Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust does not automatically
take any responsibility for the views of the author(s).
The information in this email and any attachments is confidential and is
intended for the attention and use of the addressee(s). It must not be
disclosed to any other person without our authority. If you are not the
intended recipient, you are not authorised to and must not disclose,
copy, distribute or retain the contents, nor may you act upon or take
reliance from them.

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Thomas

Please note that your Freedom of Information request regarding
social networking websites and staff contact/friendship with former
patients has never been received by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS
Foundation Trust (ie the Trust has not directly received an email
from whatdotheyknow requesting this information). As per the
Information Commissioners Office instruction, the 20 day clock does
not start ticking until the request has been received by an
authority. On this occasion, as the request was discovered by
chance due to visiting the whatdotheyknow website, the Trust has
collated a response to your questions, which you can find below.

Please can you disclose the following: 1) Standing Policy in
respect of the private use of social networking sites by staff or
any document issued to any staff in respect of such sites

The Trust does not have a policy regarding the use of social
networking sites. All staff sign a Code of Connection form when
applying for a password to gain access to the Trust computers. When
signing this form staff commit to appropriate use of the internet
and email system. Please see below the relevant excerpt:

"The Trust provides IT resources primarily for use by its staff to
enable a more effective fulfilment of their duties. However,
limited use can be made of PCs, internet and email for personal,
non-profit making reasons. Use of these resources at all times must
comply with the Trust’s policies and procedures. The applicant must
understand that all internet activity is logged and monitored at
all times and that access to her/his email account may be granted
to another on receipt by IT of authorisation from a Line Manager.
Any misuse of the internet, email or any other IT resource or
breach of a Trust policy may be referred to a Line Manager and
disciplinary action may be taken".

2) How many staff have been made subject of disciplinary
proceedings as a result of the use of such sites

It is not possible to identify the number of staff who have been
disciplined specifically due to using social networking sites. The
Trust can, however, confirm that seven members of staff have been
disciplined for inappropriate internet usage in the last 12 months.
Inappropriate internet use can include length of time spent on the
internet and use of inappropriate sites.

3) Any policy governing staff contact or friendship with former
patients or their families in any context

The Trust does not have a specific policy regarding the above. The
Contract of Employment, however, signed by all staff upon
commencement at the Trust states that it is a contractual duty to
abide by professional codes of conduct/practice. These codes
include conflict of interest. Please see below the appropriate
excerpt from the Trust’s Contract of Employment:

CODES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND PRACTICE

"As an employee of the Trust, it is a contractual duty that you
abide by any relevant code of professional conduct and/or practice
applicable to you. A breach of this requirement may result in
action being taken against you (in accordance with the Trust’s
disciplinary policy) up to and including dismissal".

4) Any Email messages discussing social networking site use by
staff or staff, sanitised so as not to contain personal
information. This request includes Person to Person ( or groups of
people) messages as well as circulation messages

In order to identify and retrieve the above requested information,
the Trust can confirm it would take in excess of the appropriate
limit set by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The appropriate
limit of £450 represents the estimated cost of one person spending
two and a half days in determining whether the Trust holds the
information, and locating, retrieving and extracting the
information. Consequently, the Trust is not obliged by the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 to retrieve the above information (see
section 12(1)).

5) The minutes of any meeting, discussion or board where social
networking sites have been discussed

In order to identify and retrieve the above requested information,
the Trust can confirm it would take in excess of the appropriate
limit set by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The appropriate
limit of £450 represents the estimated cost of one person spending
two and a half days in determining whether the Trust holds the
information, and locating, retrieving and extracting the
information. Consequently, the Trust is not obliged by the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 to retrieve the above information (see
section 12(1)).

If you feel your enquiry has not been dealt with appropriately
please refer any complaints to the Health Records and Information
Governance Manager, who will initiate an internal complaint
procedure. Complainants who remain dissatisfied with the Trust at
the end of the internal complaint procedure have the right to take
their complaint to the Information Commissioner.