NHS data breaches revealed
Patient information has been lost, stolen and left lying around by Lincolnshire NHS staff, it has been revealed.
A string of data breaches has put sensitive patient information at risk.
Information sent by post disappeared, patient details were stolen and a laptop was misplaced.
A folder containing confidential patient letters also vanished, while private notes were left lying around in a public place.
In total, nine data breaches were recorded by Lincolnshire health services between January 2007 and August this year, according to information released to health journal Pulse under the Freedom of Information Act.
Public sector union Unison said the breaches were damaging staff morale.
Lincoln branch spokesman Marc Glasscoe said: "It makes public sector staff feel that their public image is being tarnished by these events.
"Frequently these incidents take place as a result of members of staff being overworked.
Gary James, director of informatics for NHS Lincolnshire, said: "Given the very many thousands of contacts our staff have with patients, all of which involve the use of records and information, having just nine incidents in two years is an indication of the importance we put on records and information management and how hard our staff work in this regard."
For more details on the data breaches, see Saturday's Echo.
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by Rumpole 1, Whittons Mill Chambers
Monday, October 06 2008, 6:50AM
“I agree with Rodney Barker about the very casual nature of staff and state of the wards etc., but whose fault is it really?
Exectives, poliicians, lowering of educational standards, simply choosing the wrong sort of staff for financial reasons. What?”
by Rodney S. Barker, Gainsborough,Lincolnshire
Monday, October 06 2008, 6:22AM
“My many visits to Lincoln County Hospital did not see overwoked staff (from Consultants to Tea Ladies and administrative staff). My observaions were filfthy wards, bad staff/family communication, staff busy in huddles of discussions. There was a general atmosphere of casualnous among all staff. It doesn't suprise me that confidential information has gone missing. The Unison spokesman says that these breaches are lowering staff morale. How does he feel the patients and their families feel?”
by Lord Lucan, It a secret
Saturday, October 04 2008, 9:43PM
“Last.”
by Lord Lucan, It a secret
Saturday, October 04 2008, 9:39PM
“It the NHS ! what do you expect.”
by Lincoln Micro Supporter, Lincoln
Saturday, October 04 2008, 12:03PM
“Doctors and Nurses do an excellent job, as do all of the other hard working staff groups within the NHS. Including cleaners, porters, clerical, administration, scientific, maintenance and many, many other groups. The NHS is something we should be rightly proud of, the envy of the world. The asset that makes this happen are the staff who work within it. If there are data breaches, it is often because of the systems in place, rather than the people following the systems. But compared to the numbers of patients seen, these numbers are minute.”