Information Sharing - Police Scotland

The request was successful.

Dear Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board,

Can you confirm if your Health Board shares information with Police Scotland on a regular basis either through an Information Sharing Protocol or any other agreement formal or otherwise.

Can you confirm if this includes patient details, police accompanied patients, road accident victims and victims of possible assaults, serious or otherwise.

Can you confirm what processes are in place to share this information and who has the authority to share it.

Can you also confirm on what basis this information would not be shared.

Finally, would the Health Board or it's staff refuse to share information if it was requested and if so, for what reason?

Yours faithfully,

Robert James

Freedom of Information,

Thank you for your email.

We are obliged under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to provide any recorded information, we hold, (subject to exemptions) as quickly as possible and in all cases, within 20 working days.

We will respond as soon as possible. 
 
For more information on the Act and to use the response calculator, please visit http://www.itspublicknowledge.info

Kind regards,

Ann

Ann Catherine Wilson L.L.B.
Freedom of Information Officer
Communications department
28a Lister Street
University Hospital Crosshouse
Kilmarnock
KA2 0BE
Telephone: 01563 826112
Fax:01563 826122
Email: [NHS Ayrshire and Arran request email]

www.nhsaaa.net

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Freedom of Information,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr James

 

Thank you for your request.

 

Q.1 Can you confirm if your Health Board shares information with Police
Scotland on a regular basis either through an Information Sharing Protocol
or any other agreement formal or otherwise.

 

A.1  NHS Ayrshire & Arran share information with the Police as and when a
specific request is made. 

 

Q.2 Can you confirm if this includes patient details, police accompanied
patients, road accident victims and victims of possible assaults, serious
or otherwise?

 

A.2  NHS Ayrshire & Arran would provide information about all the above
categories but only in connection with the following:

+ safeguarding national security,
+ the prevention or detection of crime,
+ the apprehension and prosecution of offenders, or
+ in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another
person, in a case where:

(i)        Consent cannot be given by or on behalf of the data subject, or

(ii)        The data controller cannot reasonably be expected to obtain
the consent of the data subject.

Q.3 Can you confirm what processes are in place to share this information
and who has the authority to share it.

 

A.3  NHS Ayrshire & Arran have defined joint information sharing
arrangements contained with the ‘Information Sharing Protocol’ which all
partners, (East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Strathclyde Fire
Board and Police Scotland) adhere to when sharing information. NHS
Ayrshire & Arran also have guidance published on the intranet site for
staff that may be involved in providing information to the police.

Information is provided to the Police by the “clinician in charge” of the
case or in the case of written requests released by the Head of Integrated
Health Records.

 

Q.4 Can you also confirm on what basis this information would not be
shared.

 

A.4  Information would not be shared with Police Scotland where to do so
would breach the Data Protection Act 1998, such as where the circumstances
do not match the conditions noted in response to question 2 above.

 

Also, while we may comply with a request for information, we may not
necessarily release all of the information that was requested, if the
police were unable to demonstrate that that level of detail was relevant
and necessary for their purposes.

 

Q.5  Finally, would the Health Board or its staff refuse to share
information if it was requested and if so, for what reason?

 

A.5  If the Police could not demonstrate that the information that they
requested was necessary for pursuing their statutory duties, then the
request for information would be refused.

 

I trust this response is helpful. However, under the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 if you are dissatisfied with our response
you are entitled to request a review. A request for a review must be made
in writing to Mrs Jillian Neilson, Information Governance Manager, NHS
Ayrshire & Arran, Turnberry Building, Ailsa Hospital, Dalmellington Road,
Ayr, KA6 6AB, no later than 40 working days from 31 October 2013. You must
provide your name, an address for correspondence, details of your original
request and say why you want a review. If our decision is unchanged
following a review and you remain dissatisfied with this, you then have
the right to make a formal appeal to the Scottish Information
Commissioner.

 

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further advice
or assistance.

 

Kind regards,

 

Ann

 

Ann Catherine Wilson L.L.B                    

Freedom of Information Officer

Communications dept

28a Lister
Street                                                            

University Hospital Crosshouse

Kilmarnock

KA2 0BE

Telephone: 01563 826112

Fax: 01563 826122

Email: [1][NHS Ayrshire and Arran request email]

 

[2]www.nhsaaa.net

 

Find us on Facebook at [3]www.facebook.com/nhsaaa and Twitter @nhsaaa

 

We use 12 point Arial in all our correspondence to make it easier for
people to read.

All our publications are available in alternative formats.

 

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