This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Employees warned over patient record snooping
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned NHS staff of the consequences of looking at patient records without a valid legal reason.
The warning follows an NHS administrator from Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust being fined for repeatedly accessing a patient’s medical records without a valid legal reason.
Nicola Wren was found to have accessed the health records of a single patient 279 times over a three-week period in October and November 2015, viewing the files up to 50 times in a day.
Mike Shaw, Criminal Enforcement Group Manager at the ICO, said: “Employees, who in many cases are very experienced and capable, are getting into serious trouble and often losing their jobs, usually over little more than personal curiosity. The laws on data protection are there for a reason and people have the right to know their highly sensitive personal information will be treated with appropriate privacy and respect. The ICO will continue to take action against those who abuse their position and potentially jeopardise the important relationship of trust between patients and the NHS.”
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