Yorkshire trusts admit data breaches

Freedom of Information (FoI) requests sent by the Yorkshire Post to trusts and other public organisations across Yorkshire revealed a number of serious data breaches, including a doctor accessing a colleague's medical records at a hospital in Doncaster, and a cleaner at a Rotherham hospital viewing a friend's private medical files. Other instances involved a receptionist at a hospital in Sheffield, who collected patients' personal contact records and used them for a second job as a market researcher. Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals trust, which has reprimanded six employees over the last three years, was one of the worst offenders of the trusts that replied to the FoIs. One case involved a nurse accessing the private medical test results of her child's father, while another incident led to a clerk receiving a written warning after looking up her brother's test results. Doncaster and Bassetlaw was unavailable for comment. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals trust reported five data breaches, including a staff member accessing the medical record of an ex-partner's new partner. Three out of the five staff members involved received final written warnings and two were dismissed. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has been critical of the way the NHS handles information security. Last June the privacy watchdog revealed that the NHS was the top sector for data losses, with 305 reported data breaches at that time since November 2007. Commenting on the data breaches in Yorkshire, a spokeswoman for the ICO said: "The usual and most appropriate outcome in these cases is disciplinary action taken by the employer. However, where that employee is accessing records for personal gain, such as selling the data on to third parties, the ICO may open a criminal investigation." This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the Guardian Healthcare Network to receive regular emails on NHS innovation.