Independent audits of HES/SUS and HES data breaches
Phil Booth made this Freedom of Information request to NHS Digital This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear Health and Social Care Information Centre,
I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
For the purposes of the Act, please take the date of your receipt of this request as 5th February 2014.
Please could you provide:
1) A dated list of every independent external audit of the data usage and security of Hospital Episodes Statistics / Secondary Uses Service, from the most recent to as far back as HES/SUS has been in operation, and
2) A copy of each audit report or the URLs of where the reports are published.
3) A dated list of every internal audit of the data usage and security of HES/SUS, from the most recent to as far back as HES/SUS has been in operation, and
4) A copy of each audit report or the URL of where they are published.
5) A dated list of every known data breach involving HES data from 1989 until it was taken on by the Secondary Uses Service in 2006, including the number of records involved in each breach, if known.
Please do not use failure to find any one report as a reason for delaying or denying this whole request.
I would be grateful if you would send me the requested information promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth working day following the date of receipt of my request.
If my request is denied in whole or in part, or specific items within the responses are withheld from disclosure, then you must justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the Act, as per Section 17 of the Act. Where you rely on a qualified exemption to withhold disclosure, you are obliged to consider the public interest in your decision and the refusal notice must explain not only which exemption applies and why, but also the public interest arguments addressed in reaching the decision.
Yours faithfully,
Phil Booth
Ref: NIC-248034-G5V7C
Dear Phil Booth,
I am writing to acknowledge that your request for information was received
by The Health and Social Care Information Centre on 05/02/2014 and is
currently being considered.
If The HSCIC is able to provide you with the information you have
requested, then under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act you are
entitled to receive it promptly and in any event no later than the 20th
working day following the date of receipt. However, we may need to contact
you to clarify your request, if this is required we aim to do this
promptly but no later than 7 days after receiving your initial request for
information.
May I take this opportunity to explain the FOI Act in more detail. The Act
provides a 'General right of access to information held by public
authorities. However, it also defines a number of exemptions which may
prevent the release of some or all of the information you have requested.
Therefore, the HSCIC will assess your information request in light of any
relevant exemptions.
If exemptions do apply, then the HSCIC may decide not to release all, or
part, of the information you have requested. I shall inform you if this is
the case, and advise you of your rights of appeal.
If the information you request contains reference to a third party then
they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken as to whether to
release the information to you.
The response to your request will be sent to you by email, however if you
require your response in any other format, please contact me to discuss a
suitable format.
The HSCIC will not normally charge a fee to provide you with the
information you have requested, unless the cost of dealing with your
request is more than £450 as outlined in Section 12 of the FOI Act and
Section 3 of the The FOI and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees)
Regulations 2004. If it appears likely that your request will cost more,
then the HSCIC is able to refuse to supply the information. As per our
obligations under Section 16 of the FOI Act, every effort will be made to
provide you with details of how you may be able to reframe your request in
order for us to complete the required work within the (£450 / 18 person
hours) cost limit.
If you have any queries or should you wish to make a compliant about the
manner in which your request is being processed then please do not
hesitate to contact me at the above address in the first instance. Any
complaints will be investigated in accordance with the HSCIC complaints
procedure.
Further information about your rights under the Freedom of Information
Act, is available from the Information Commissioner's Office, Wilmslow,
Cheshire and on the HSCIC's website.
Kind Regards,
Contact Centre Team
Health and Social Care Information Centre
Vantage House
40 Aire Street
Leeds
LS1 4HT
0845 300 6016
Email: [1][HSCIC request email]
[2]http://www.hscic.gov.uk
Ref: NIC-248034-G5V7C
Dear Mr Booth,
Many thanks for your FOI Request. Please find attached our response - I
hope this helps.
Kind Regards,
Contact Centre Team
Health and Social Care Information Centre
1 Trevelyan Square
Boar Lane
Leeds
LS1 6AE
0845 300 6016
Email: [1][HSCIC request email]
[2]http://www.hscic.gov.uk
Dear Mr Booth,
Please accept our sincere apologies for the delays in responding to your
request.
We are currently encountering technical issues with regard to redacting
some of the information we intend to supply. We are working on these
issues and we endeavour to respond to your request within the next couple
of days.
Kind regards,
James
James Smith
Higher Information Governance Officer
The Health and Social Care Information Centre
1st Floor West, 1 Trevelyan Square,
Boar Lane, Leeds
LS1 6AE
Tel: 0845 300 6016
Ref: NIC-248034-G5V7C
Dear Phil,
Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your
request for information.
Please find enclosed our response letter and .zip file which includes
information in scope of your request.
Kind Regards,
Contact Centre Team
Health and Social Care Information Centre
1 Trevelyan Square
Boar Lane
Leeds
LS1 6AE
0845 300 6016
Email: [1][HSCIC request email]
[2]http://www.hscic.gov.uk
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[HSCIC request email]
2. http://www.hscic.gov.uk/
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