Freedom of Information/IG Admin Co-ordinator

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities (Freedom of Information)

Receive, acknowledge, and log all FOI requests; referring requests to the appropriate senior members of staff, asking them to assist and provide the required information; ensuring staff are aware of their duties and possible applicable exemptions in respect of the Act. Liaise with and co-ordinate responses from various teams to provide a full and comprehensive response.

Communicate directly with requestors and staff on an individual basis, over the telephone, via email or MS Teams regarding FOI requests; handle these with tact and discretion, recognising that some issues will be of a sensitive and complex nature.

Maintain a detailed administration system for the recording, processing, and fulfilment of requests for information made under FOI; run queries and create statistical reports as required; maintain and input data to a high level of accuracy.

Provide advice and support to a broad range of requestors who may not be able to provide a request in writing or to clarify, if necessary, where a FOI request is not valid, too wide, or unclear under our duty to assist (s.16), negotiating revised requests where appropriate. Where necessary, inform the requesting party about any delays to the Trust response.

Recognise and understand where the requests should be dealt with via a different route, for instance as a Subject Access Request; or whether the request is best answered by another organisation where information is not held by our Trust and be able to articulate such to requestors.

Maintain specialist knowledge about FOI legislation, the range of exemptions that can apply to requests for information and associated case law. Make informed judgements as required in relation to the use and application of exemptions available under FOI legislation where appropriate; identifying information already publicly available and information previously provided in response to other FOI requests to ensure consistency.

Provide specialist guidance to managers on the framing and language of responses provided under the FOIA where exemptions may be applicable and how they may be applied and structured. Keep staff and managers across the Trust updated on developments in the field of FOI and provide advice, training, and support where necessary.

Ensure that all responses include mandatory information required under the FOIA (e.g., about the appeals process, how to contact the ICO etc.) and present this in the agreed corporate format.

Implement and maintain processes that support FOI requests being dealt with in the statutory timelines. Manage the internal review process when FOI responses are challenged, liaising with the IG and Compliance Specialist as required.

Consult with external Third Parties (e.g., suppliers) where their interests may be affected by FOI disclosure (e.g., prejudice to commercial interests s.43), seeking agreement and/or compromise regarding the disclosure of information.

Carry out the redaction of information contained in a variety of Trust documents where information is exempt under the FOIA.

Receive often highly complex, sensitive, or contentious information from the Trusts departments; exercise judgement on how best to present this information and formulate a full response written to a high professional standard in easily comprehensible terms suitable for release into the public domain.

Carry out research (online) as a matter of routine practice to understand complex requests and information received from staff; monitor decisions notices and changes in guidance issued by the Information Commissioners Office; maintain awareness of information and data published by health sector organisations such as NHSE/I, PHE, and other NHS Trusts.

Accountable to maintain current online FOI disclosure log and compliance statistics.

Triage and assist with the internal review process for FOIs as required when an appeal or complaint is received and work toward an acceptable resolution that prevents escalation to the Information Commissioners Office.

Accountable for the Trusts FOI Policy content and supporting procedures to maintain compliance with FOI legislation/Code of Practice.

Responsible for the maintenance of the Trusts online Publication Scheme; liaising with departments, directorates and corporate functions to ensure that relevant content on the Trust website is appropriate and up to date through regular audits.

Provide administrative support to the Information Governance Team as required, such as arranging meetings, distributing information, taking notes; assist with performance reporting for various projects asset management/ Data Flow Mapping and committees.

Triage enquiries for support and guidance, recording and managing through TechBar ticket system.

Plan, undertake and write up pre set audits as directed regarding information governance compliance making recommendations to driving improvements, covering areas including;, Confidentiality Spot Checks

Facilitate chasing of outstanding audit actions, including those directly from the Caldicott Panel (or other relevant meetings).

Facilitate monitoring of the overall Trust compliance with Data Security and Data Protection mandatory Training.

Lead on maintaining the IG intranet pages content and publication of pre set cycle of data protection communications content on HIVE (internal intranet)

Be responsible for implementing procedures for own work area and for proposing changes in line with legislation, Trust and NHS policies and guidelines across the Trust, where appropriate

Demonstrates the agreed set of values and accountable for own attitude and behaviour

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree level qualification or equivalent (A)
• Evidence of relevant continuous personal and professional (A)

Desirable

• Formal Freedom of Information qualification (A)
• Senior administration experience.(A)
• Audit/Compliance qualifications (A)

Experience

Essential

• Experience of communicating on complex information and administrative matters, requiring developed interpersonal and oral / written communication skills (A)
• Problem solving and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands (A)
• Experience and evidence of analysing, interpreting, and presenting complex, often sensitive information. (A)
• Experience of providing staff of all levels with best practice and legal guidance on Information Governance topics (Data Protection and Caldicott) (A)

Desirable

• Understanding of NHS structure/procedures. (A)
• Experience of developing and managing data request tracker systems (I)
• Experience of developing and maintaining policies and procedures (I)

Skills

Essential

• The ability to assess, interpret and lead on responses to requests for information from a wide variety of applicants (e.g., media, government, commercial entities, public, etc.) (A)
• The ability to assess, interpret and act upon written requests for information (A)
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload with minimal / no supervision working to tight and often changing timescales (A)
• Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills required to build relationships with staff and external stakeholders from varied backgrounds. planning skills (A,I)
• Excellent written/oral communication and interpersonal skills. (A)
• Able to interact with tact and diplomacy with staff at all levels to gain agreement and cooperation regarding the processing of FOI requests. (I)

Desirable

• The ability to respond clearly to FOI requests involving complex, sensitive, or contentious information, where there may be barriers to understanding. (A)
• The ability to translate expert knowledge into easily understood information suitable for colleagues and the public domain. (A)

Knowledge

Essential

• Strong IT skills in Microsoft Office; (A)
• Specialist knowledge and awareness of confidentiality issues relating to the Data Protection Act/UK GDPR.(A)
• Detailed knowledge of the principles and application of the FOI Act 2000 (A)

Desirable

• Strong Excel skills
• Ability to apply recognised audit methodologies including audit planning, terms of reference, audit field work, report writing, recommendations and monitoring (I)
• Knowledge of Risk identification, control mitigations and action planning (A)

Values

Essential

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours (A)

Other

Desirable

• The ability to positively challenge colleagues and provide advice and guidance as necessary (I)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

The Christie NHS FT

Address

IT Digital Services Assurance - E00385

Manchester

M20 4BX

Employer's website

https://www.christie.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)