Introduction

What is a Publication Scheme?

This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by Bolton Primary Care Trust. It is a description of the information about our Trust that we make publicly available. We shall review the Scheme at regular intervals and monitor how it is operating.

It is important to us that this Scheme meets your needs and we have designed it to be a route map so that you can find information about Bolton Primary Care Trust easily. Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Trust has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of Bolton Primary Care Trust information. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities (of which Bolton Primary Care Trust is one).

The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of patients to protection of their patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, the Data Protection Act and at common law. Maintaining the legal right to patient confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part. To help with this, we have appointed someone who is called a Caldicott Guardian, and who has responsibility to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality throughout the Trust in accordance with your legal rights. In Bolton Primary Care Trust, 
our Caldicott Guardian is:
Helen McKnight
Director of Clinical Governance
St. Peters House