NHS told to release data over heart unit

A long-running bid by a Leeds councillor led to heads at NHS England being told they must produce documents about the plans, now overturned.

An Information Commisioner’s tribunal, sitting at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, ordered the release of details Coun John Illingworth had requested under the Freedom of Information Act by the end of the month.

Coun Illingworth said: “I am delighted, thrilled to bits. I thought they would just trample all over us.”

The tribunal follows a long dispute about the release of data relating to children’s heart surgery in England.

A nationwide review took place over several years, culminating in the recommendation in 2012 that Leeds General Infirmary should stop providing heart surgery for youngsters. However, this decision was overturned last year and a new review is now underway.

Coun Illingworth – chairman of a committee of Yorkshire councillors who have voiced their opposition – had asked for various pieces of information relating to the way the first review was carried out.

Some was released, but other requests were turned down on the basis that retrieving it would take longer than 18 hours, the legal limit. However, the tribunal overturned an earlier appeal and ruled: “We do not think that it would have taken more than 18 hours for a reasonably well-informed and conscientious official to locate, retrieve and/or extract the information.”

A spokeswoman for NHS England said: “We will carefully consider the notice provided by the tribunal and take forward the instructions in accordance with the FOI Act.”