Who we are and what we do

How we fit into the NHS structure
 
The NHS is the largest organisation in Europe and constitutes a major part of the public sector of Great Britain.

The Trust comprises the Countess of Chester Hospital, a 600 bed hospital, providing the full range of acute and a number of specialist services, and also Ellesmere Port Hospital, a 70-bed rehabilitation and outpatient facility. The Trust employs over 3,600 people and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 260,000 residents mainly in Chester and surrounding rural areas, Ellesmere Port and Neston and a further 152,000 in the Deeside area of Flintshire. More than 425,000 patients attend the hospital for treatment every year, ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery.

The Countess of Chester Hospital has an excellent reputation for delivering high quality patient care and is nationally accredited at the highest levels in many areas, in particular those relating to clinical outcomes and patient safety.

More information can be obtained from our Annual Reports and Corporate Documents.

The strategic direction of the NHS is guided by the Department of Health. The Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk has links to key national strategies that guide the NHS nationally.

Senior staff and management Board Members

Full details of all Board members are available on this website by clicking the link.
 
Location and contact details for all public-facing departments

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) gives the public the right to access information held by public authorities, including the NHS. This means that Hospital Trusts, PCT's and GP Practices must now provide access to their recorded information on request.

Our Information Guide has detailed information about the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where you may find the information you are looking for. Alternatively, you could request information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Trust is obliged to respond to these requests about the information that it holds, in whatever format it is recorded. The right to request and access this information is subject to some exemptions. The classes of information will not generally include:
 •Information the disclosure of which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure.
 •Information in draft form.
 •Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.
 
The information will generally be available to the public via the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust website www.coch.nhs.uk

Requests for information must:
A. be in written format
B. state a name and contact address
C. give a clear description of the information required

Written request must be sent to:

FOI Officer - Executive Office
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The Countess of Chester Health Park
Liverpool Road
Chester
CH2 1UL

Or e-mail to: foi.enquiries@nhs.net

For supporting information about Freedom of Information requests, please refer to the following documents:

• FOI policy (250kb)

For any information relating to Ellesmere Port Hospital, please contact:

Maria Woodward
Matron
Ellesmere Port Hospital
114 Chester Road
Whitby
Ellesmere Port
CH65 6SG 

Cheshire West Integrated Care Partnership

T: 01244 364 390 E: mariawoodward@nhs.net

The information provided via the website will be available free of charge. For information required in hard copy there may be a minimal cost to reflect actual disbursements incurred such as:

• Photocopying
• Postage and packaging
• The costs directly incurred as result of viewing information

If a charge is to be made, confirmation of the payment due will be given before the information is provided. Payment may be requested prior to provision of the information.

For more about the Freedom of Information Act, go to the Information Commissioner's website
  
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You can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS provides support, advice and information for patients who have concerns or comments on services within the hospital.
 
Telephone 01244 366066
'Have Your Say' freephone number 0800 195 1241 and select option 2
 
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For media enquiries please contact the Marketing and Communications Department on 01244 362066
 
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For Invoices and payment queries, please telephone the Accounts Payable department on 01244 365000
 
Invoices should be sent to the following address:

Finance Department
Countess of Chester Hospital
NHS Foundation Trust
The Countess of Chester Health Park
Liverpool Road
Chester
CH2 1UL

Requesting Personal Information