ICO Decision: NHS Trust failed to respond to FOI request

ICO Decision Notices

Filed March 12th, 2026

Detected March 19th, 2026

Summary

The ICO has issued a decision notice finding that Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust failed to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request within the statutory 20-working day period. The Trust is required to provide a substantive response to the request.

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What changed

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has ruled that Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust breached section 10 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by failing to respond to a complainant's request for information within the mandated 20 working days. This decision notice, dated March 12, 2026, upholds the complainant's assertion that the Trust did not meet its statutory obligations.

Public authorities, particularly within the healthcare sector, must ensure they have robust processes in place to handle FOI requests within the prescribed timelines. Failure to do so can result in a formal breach finding by the ICO. The Trust is now obligated to provide a substantive response to the original request, indicating the need for immediate internal review of FOI handling procedures to prevent future non-compliance and potential further action.

What to do next

Review internal processes for handling Freedom of Information requests to ensure compliance with the 20-working day statutory deadline.
Ensure a substantive response is provided to the outstanding FOI request as mandated by the ICO decision.

Source document (simplified)

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Date 12 March 2026
Sector Health
Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld The complainant requested information from Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. The Commissioner’s decision is that the public authority failed to respond to the request within 20 working days and has therefore breached section 10 of FOIA. The public authority must provide a substantive response to the request in accordance with its obligations under FOIA.