The Patient’s Forums (Functions) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2124) require that a patients forum may require national health service trusts to produce any information that appears to them to be necessary for the effective carrying out of their functions. The NHS trust must comply promptly and in any event no later than 20 working days following the date the requirement was made.
The same Regulations also require that where a patients forum requests a response from the NHS trust for which it is established, and to whom it has made a report or recommendation, that trust shall respond in writing to the patients forum promptly and in any event again no later than 20 working days following the date the request was made giving an explanation of any actions it intends to take; or why it does not intend to take any action.