ICO Decision: NHS England FOI Response Time Failure

ICO Decision Notices

Filed March 12th, 2026

Detected March 17th, 2026

Summary

The ICO has issued a decision notice finding NHS England failed to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request within the statutory 20 working days. The ICO requires NHS England to respond to the complainant within 30 calendar days.

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What changed

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a decision notice (Ref: IC-474556-L0S2) against NHS England, upholding a complaint that the public authority failed to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request within the legally mandated 20 working days. The decision explicitly states that NHS England has contravened its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

NHS England is now required by the ICO to provide the complainant with a substantive response to their original FOI request within 30 calendar days from the date of this decision. Failure to comply with this directive could result in further enforcement action by the ICO.

What to do next

Respond to the FOI complainant within 30 calendar days.

Source document (simplified)

NHS England

Date 12 March 2026
Sector Health
Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld The public authority has failed to respond to this request within 20 working days, as specified under FOIA. The Commissioner requires it to provide the complainant with a response to this request within 30 calendar days in accordance with its obligations under FOIA.