Dear Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust,

Please provides details of any records held with regards to:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/84926...

This may include (but exclusively limited to): dispatch records, care records, debrief records, inter-agency communication records, PCR/PCFs etc

Yours faithfully,

Tom Hodder

Broach, Valerie, Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust

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Dear Mr Hodder

Please find attached the Trust's response to your recent Freedom of
Information request.

Kind regards

Valerie Broach | PA to Director of Finance

Great Western Ambulance

Jenner House

Chippenham | SN15 1GG

Tel: 01249 858614

email: [email address]

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Dear Broach, Valerie,

Thankyou for your reply.

Can you confirm that even anoymised records such as iCad (your dispatch system) times (dispatched, mobile, at scene, clear etc) are covered your exemption of data protection and coroners?

Yours sincerely,

Tom Hodder

Knight, Bernadette, Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust

[Subject only] FW: Freedom of Information request - Police Incident

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Dear Knight, Bernadette,

Again, thanks for the reply, though only partially answering my question.

I appreciate now that you can't release this until the coroner concludes, but to save me wasting my time when they do, can you confirm if anonymised records (such as icad timings) would be available?

I'm not entirely sure how they could be used to identify someone.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Hodder

Knight, Bernadette, Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust

The Coroner will control what he publishes or discusses in public but as
a general point we would be unlikely to publish icad data as this case
has been reported in the news, and will no doubt be further reported.
So if anonymised data relates to only a single incident, at a certain
time on a certain date and at a certain location, it could easily be
traced back to an individual. I hope that is clear explanation.
Yours sincerely,
Bernadette Knight

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Dear Knight, Bernadette,

Thankyou for your reply.

I've been researching your comment "Any data which potentially identifies an individual requires written
consent from that individual" - however, I believe this to be incorrect. The Data Protection Act 1998 in it's relevant parts states:

"personal data” means data which relate to a living individual who can be identified—
(a)from those data, or
(b)from those data and other information which is in the possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of, the data controller,

Unfortunately, as we know now the individual in this case is now deceased and I believe the DPA does not apply.

I appreciate there is still the matter of the Coroner, but would be interested in your comments and interpretations of the extract above.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Hodder

Knight, Bernadette, Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust

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You are correct that the Data Protection Act does not apply to the
deceased. However, the principle is expected to be upheld even after
death if disclosure would be either detrimental to the individual
deceased or others (as described by the Information Commissioner, the
NHS Code of Confidentiality and most professional codes of conduct).
I attach a paper for your information.
Yours sincerely,
Bernadette Knight

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Dear Knight, Bernadette,

Thankyou Bernadette - I have contacted the ICO to clarify this point, as it does seem to be somewhat ambiguous.

I doubt they will reply before the weekend, have a nice weekend!

Yours sincerely,

Tom Hodder