NHS Breached Personal Data 806 times in the Last Three Years

Recent figures from privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch have shown that 806 separate incidents, involving patient medical records being compromised, have taken place at 152 NHS trusts between July 2008 and July 2011.

The group had access to the majority of NHS organisations in the UK and found several breaches of confidentiality including 23 incidents where patient information was posted on social networks, 129 separate incidents where employees were looking up at the details of colleagues and relatives; moreover on 57 occasions confidential information was lost or stolen by staff.

Surely these findings are likely to tarnish the NHS reputation and erode patient’s confidence; as Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, said: “This research highlights how the NHS is simply not doing enough to ensure that confidential information is protected”