Freedom of Information Coordinator | East London NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 09 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £37,259 - £45,356 per annum Inc HCAs |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 28 February 2026 |
| Location: | London, E1 8DE |
| Company: | East London NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7715599/363-CP7715599 |
Summary
This role is responsible for the coordination of our busy Freedom of Information (FOI) service. We are looking for an individual who is well organised, has excellent Office skills and has a good working knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act. If you are a good communicator, have the ability to explain things clearly to a wide variety of different audiences with different levels of understanding and also remain calm at all times, then this may be the job for you.
Key duties of this job are to provide Trust-wide FOI requests coordination, and to maintain the public facing FOI publication scheme.
The post-holder is a main point of contact for individuals or organisations wishing to submit freedom of requests for information about the Trust.
The post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day co-ordination of Freedom of Information requests received by ELFT from individuals, groups and organisations and will follow policy and procedures designed to ensure that the Trust fully complies with all aspects of the Freedom of Information Act.
The post holder will co-ordinate the progress of a number of concurrent requests and will ensure that they are responded to appropriately and within the timescale set out in the Freedom of Information Act. This will require direct communication with clinical and non-clinical staff at senior levels within the organisation.
The post holder will also be required on instruction to maintain an approved Publication Scheme for FOI requests as required by the Act, which is a means of providing access to information which an authority proactively publishes.
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Be a first point of contact across the Trust when individuals or their representatives seek access to their personal information
Coordinate Trust wide FOI leads meetings
Maintain an FOI database and associated network drive folders
Receive, record and acknowledge all new FOI requests received and provide assistance to someone making a verbal request to put it in writing
Maintain an accurate and up to date register of requests including details of any disclosures, refusals, fees, advice and guidance and track the progress of ongoing requests ensuring appropriate prioritisation to meet statutory deadlines
Update the FOI Publication Scheme on the website
Provide routine advice and assistance to requesters or their representatives seeking information about the Trust
Be the focal point for any FOI received and provide high quality advice and support to requesters, colleagues and more widely across the Trust when clarification or support is required
Work closely with designated FOI leads across the Trust to ensure requests are dealt with appropriately and within timescales. This will include initiating and maintaining effective working relationships with all levels of staff in other Directorates/Departments including clinical, administrative, managerial, and executive teams and with requesters
Improve and develop the FOI service across the Trust, making changes to policy and procedure where necessary to support delivery
Maintain an up to date knowledge of FOI / EIR legislation
Deliver an FOI awareness and training programme for designated FOI leads
Be an expert in determining the systems where Trust information may be held, identification of relevant information when located and in extracting information efficiently and appropriately
Comply with procedures for handling any requests under the Freedom of Information Act including those of a complex nature, ensuring that they are dealt with in a timely, specific and confidential manner
Following set procedure, identify appropriate FOI leads and coordinate processes and requests ensuring the principles of FOI are considered and applied at alltimes
Facilitate the process to establish whether information requested in new FOI requests could be more readily available from previous disclosures thereby reducing the need for FOI requests and responses in the future
Coordinate, collate and compile responses to requests for information under the FOI Act and liaise with staff at all levels via direct communication (teams, face-to-face, email or telephone) as appropriate, to ensure that they are clear, accurate and easy to understand and in the format requested in accordance with the Act
Communicate with FOI subject matter experts to enable high quality and timely responses to requests. This will require the post holder to communicate by email, over Teams, telephone and face to face
Set out complex information to a wide range of audiences to ensure requests are handled appropriately
Ensure response timescales are adhered to despite multiple requests being open at the same time or unscheduled or urgent queries needing attention
Provide regular detailed activity reports about FOI compliance
Compile and produce routine compliance reports for Information Governance Steering Group and other committees
Compile and produce regular detailed activity reports about FOI compliance in a timely, meaningful and readily understood format
This advert closes on Sunday 8 Feb 2026