One of the greatest pieces of legislation to the journalist or healthcare information enthusiast has to be the Freedom of Information Act (2000). I think it is really important that all of us who work in the public sector recognise that we are accountable servants. We need to make sure everything we do is open and honest and that we are using public money in the most appropriate way. If the governement or one of their departments decide we should follow some kind of guidelines, protocols or rules then it is important that we demonstrate we are doing as we are told and that we show how we have gone about doing it in the most appropriate way.In the last 2 weeks I have had to spend time on two responses to Freedom of Information requests. In the latest one, I have to provide one reasonably simple piece of information (which has required me to ask questions of several others and then wait for a response), but another 15 people need to also provide information. This leads me to ask a few questions. What patient or member of the public is asking so many questions of us? For what purpose do they require to know this information? For what will it be used?

Well actual real individual patients making FOI requests seem to be rare. The requests are generally made by journalists or activists of some kind. Often the results are portrayed in some newspaper report, internet website newsletter or television documentary. There is a general feeling that rather than the information being put to some wider good, that actually someone somewhere is trying to catch us out.

The freedom of information act has made us more careful about the information we keep and store. It has made me think about what I write in emails (oh yes emails are subject to FOI) and it has made me have to spend time trawling through information when I could be doing something else. If all of this helps make healthcare safer and more cost effective then fine, but does it?