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We are working with an NHS organisation who are seeking to appoint an Interim Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer for a short term assignment. The role will start ASAP and will be for 3 months initially.

It is essential for this role that candidates can demonstrate previous Freedom of Information (FOI) experience within a public sector setting, preferable within healthcare and will be both confident and competent in responding to and processing FOI’s.

The role will be remote working/agile and will be remunerated at Band 5 under AfC interim day rates.

Key responsibilities will include:

Dealing with requests received under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI), log and respond to all FOI requests promptly;
Provide advice and assistance to FOI/EIR applicants including how to access information from the Trust;
Resolving day-to-day FOI queries;
Liaising with a range of departments to gather information and draft responses to individual requests within the 20 working day limit;
Support wider teams to understand their role and responsibilities in the FOI process, and the importance of meeting deadlines;
Organising sign-off of requests by relevant staff prior to disclosure;
To liaise with Information Governance manager and the Communications team to resolve more complex FOI issues;
Identifying and delivering on the measures necessary to ensure that the Trust is compliant with FOI and Environmental Information Regulations legislation and compliance targets;
To raise all issues of non-compliance through regular reporting to Senior Teams;
Helping to maintain FOI and Publication Scheme pages on the Trust website and intranet;
Support the Information Governance manager in handling internal reviews, complaints and appeals in regard to FOI requests;
To keep up to date with FOI developments and help liaise with the Information Commissioner’s Office;
Review and update FOI policies and procedures as required.
The ideal candidate will have/be:

Educated to Diploma (HND) level or equivalent experience;
Knowledge of FOI and EIR legislation;
Good understanding of the NHS and the professional and political environment in which the trust works;
Experience in a comparable role, dealing with FOI requests;
Experience of work in a public sector, healthcare or hospital setting;
Excellent written and verbal communication ability;
Excellent relationship building, negotiation, influencing, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills;
Proven ability to work effectively in a team environment or independently as required;
Ability to relate to people at all levels and to deal with senior colleagues with confidence;
Familiarity with the full range of communication and engagement tools.
If you are interested in the role, please email Toni Coates with a copy of your updated CV to (url removed) along with your availability and rate understanding in line with the above.

If you do not receive a response within 72 hours (3 working days) of receipt, please assume that on this particular occasion, your application did not meet the client’s requirements for this specific role