At the present time, in addition to accessing the information identified in this Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust under the NHS Openness Code 1995. A link to this is available in Part 3 of the Scheme and hard copies are available free of charge from the Department of Health, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS Tel. 0207 210 4850 or e-mail dhmail@doh.gsi.gov.uk. Sometimes, some or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why not when this happens.

The Freedom of Information Act recognises that as a member of the public, you have the right to know how public services such as the NHS are organised and run, how much they cost and how you can make complaints if you need to. You have the right to know which services are being provided, the targets that are being set, the standards of services that are expected and the results achieved.

From 1st January 2005, the PCT has also been obliged to respond to requests about the information which it holds and records in any format.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact the following to do this:

New Environmental Information Regulations may be introduced as early as 2003. These will enable similar access to environmental information, as under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.