Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) receives a high number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests – these are requests for information from members of the public which vary in complexity and topic.
The Trust has been experiencing challenges in responding to all FOI requests on time.
On 23 October 2025, the national Information Commissioner issued an Enforcement Notice to CUH. A requirement of the Enforcement Notice was for CUH to devise and publish an improvement plan to respond to unanswered FOI requests and improve compliance with the response timeframes set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Details of our remediation / action plan
Non-urgent advice: FOI response rate
- by 23 April 2026
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Respond to all ‘breached’ requests - those that have not yet been responded to but have exceeded the statutory timeframe, seeking advice from the requestor to ensure their request is still valid.
- by 23 April 2026
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Improve the percentage of information requests responded to within the statutory timeframe to over 65% by 23 April 2026, followed by further work thereafter to increase the compliance rate to more than 90%.
Non-urgent advice: Handling requests
- Complete
-
Procure an FOI management system to support request handling and reporting.
- by 15 December 2025
-
Automate regular reminders about upcoming FOI response timeframe breaches.
- by 15 January 2026
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Improve the percentage of information requests responded to within the statutory timeframe to over 65% with a further improvement target to be set when this initial target is reached.
- by 23 April 2026
-
Develop a process flow diagram for FOI responders to be tailored by each area responsible for responding to FOIs.
- by 23 April 2026
-
Publish quarterly statistics on the percentage of information requests responded to within the statutory timeframe.
Non-urgent advice: Training and awareness
- by 30 November 2025
-
Develop a tip sheet to support FOI responders to review requests and check that it is compliant with FOI requirements.
- by 15 January 2026
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Review FOI policy and update to reflect the new processes put in place under this action plan.
- by 15 January 2026
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Utilise the procured FOI management solution to escalate FOI responsibilities when staff are absent to reduce delays in processing and responding to requests.
Non-urgent advice: Compliance and assurance
- by 15 December 2025
-
Develop a dashboard and/or regular reports to FOI approvers and processors to enable monitoring of request processing and completion.
- by 15 January 2026
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Automate a process for notifying senior leadership if an FOI in their area/s for which they are responsible for is close to breaching the statutory timeframe.
Non-urgent advice: Governance structure
- Completed
-
Reduce burden through reallocation of Information Governance team responsibilities to ensure sufficient time for monitoring FOI responses.
- Completed
-
Fill vacant roles within the Information Governance team to ensure there is sufficient resource to process FOI requests.
- by 15 January 2026
-
Agree a suitable level of sign-off of FOIs.
As a Trust we are committed to improving our FOI response processes and ensuring timely and accurate handling of all FOI requests moving forward.
This page will be updated regularly with progress against our remediation / action plan.