Dear Alan Jones

I write to acknowledge receipt of your email below requesting information
under the FOI Act 2000 , received by the Trust on 16 November 2010.

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

The Act defines a number of exemptions which may prevent release of the
information you have requested. There will be an assessment and if any of
the exemption categories apply then the information will not be released.
You will be informed if this is the case within 20 working days, along
with 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 on whether or not to
release the information to you. You will be informed within 20 working
days if this is the case.

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact me on the number
below. May l ask that you quote the above reference number in all
correspondence.

regards

Sean Hunter
Assistant Service Relations Manager

South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Trust HQ

Mellor House

Corporation Street

Stafford

ST16 3SR

Tel: 01785 221 404

Fax: 01785 221 391

Email: [1][email address]

For confidential information please use NHS Secure Email:
[2][email address] This account is not checked daily - please notify
if urgent message has been sent via NHS.Net

This email is confidential and intended solely for the use of the
individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions presented are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of South
Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. If you are not
the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this email in
error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of
this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the Health Informatics Service Desk by telephone on
01785 230390.

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

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Dear Alan Jones

Thank you for your email of 16 November 2010 where you requested
information about The Trust's email policy.

The information you requested is detailed below.

1.Does your Trust have one of the above? - I can confirm that the Trust
has a number of policies which deal with the use of email. These can be
accessed via the following link:

[1]http://www.southstaffsandshropshealthcar...

2.Is it accessible and understandable for the layperson? - I can confirm
that most of the Trust's policies have undergone an Equality Impact
assessment and that the resulting recommendations have been incorporated
to ensure that they meet the equality and diversity needs of staff and
service users within the framework of current legislation.

3. Citing the fine example of the Sheffield NHS Primary Care Trust, does
your Trust have plans to upgrade your Website to incorporate a similar,
accessible and user-friendly Email Policy? - All Trust policies are
regularly reviewed and the Trust is always happy to take on board any
suggestions.

4. How long are emails kept by your Trust before they are deleted? - The
length of time emails are kept varies depending on the subject matter of
the email. This is dictated by the Records Management: NHS code of
practice. This can be accessed via the following link:

[2]http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsands...

5. Are deleted emails capable of still being read and included in a
Subject Access Request? - I can confirm that deleted emails in the deleted
items folder can still be read and are included in a Subject Access
Request.

We would be grateful if you take a minute to fill out our Freedom of
Information Customer Satisfaction Survey and let us know about your
experience.

This can be accessed by following the link below:

[3]http://www.southstaffsandshropshealthcar...

Please do not hesitate to contact me in the first instance if you have any
queries or questions on the Trust's response, however, if you are
dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask
for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted
within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original
letter and should be addressed to Jane Landick at the address below.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

Jane Landick

Company Secretary

South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Trust Headquarters

St George's Hospital

Corporation Street

Stafford

ST16 3SR

Telephone: 01785 257888; Email: [4][email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 700.

Website: [5]www.ico.gov.uk

Yours sincerely
Sean Hunter
Assistant Service Relations Manager

South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Trust HQ

Mellor House

Corporation Street

Stafford

ST16 3SR

Tel: 01785 221 404

Fax: 01785 221 391

Email: [6][email address]

For confidential information please use NHS Secure Email:
[7][email address] This account is not checked daily - please notify
if urgent message has been sent via NHS.Net

This email is confidential and intended solely for the use of the
individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions presented are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of South
Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust unless
otherwise explicitly stated. If you are not the intended recipient, be
advised that you have received this email in error and that any use,
dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this email is strictly
prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the
Health Informatics Service Desk by telephone on 01785 230390. Please note
that the information contained in this e-mail may be subject to public
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Unless the
information is legally exempt from disclosure, the confidentiality of this
e-mail and your reply cannot be guaranteed.

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

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