Regulator calls for action on NHS staff snooping in patient records
Over 300 reports spark demand for tighter controls
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has called on health service leaders across the UK to address unauthorized access to patient records by NHS staff.
This urgent request follows more than 300 reports made to the regulator this year of staff accessing records without a legitimate reason.
Incidents have involved staff looking at records of people they know and sharing information with others, which breaches privacy protocols.
This includes the records of the victims of attacks in Southport and Nottingham, and the three-year-old who fell into a crocodile pit in Cambridgeshire.
Elsewhere, 10 staff were suspected of looking at the records of toddler Noah Woods, who died in September after going missing in Suffolk, while two workers are believed to have looked at the records of William Chapman after he was mauled to death by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Those affected by these breaches recently signed a letter condemning the misuse, describing it as a "flagrant abuse of power" with "devastating effects."
Paul Arnold, ICO chief executive, said, “Accessing someone’s health records without a legitimate reason isn’t harmless curiosity. It can cause enormous distress to patients and jeopardise the vital trust people place in our health service.”
He urged organizations to ensure staff understand the consequences of unauthorized access and to confirm effective safeguards: “I’ve written to chief executives across the UK asking them to personally assure me that their safeguards work in practice.”
Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England chief executive, encouraged the suspension of suspected staff, stating any workers should have their access to online systems cut off immediately if breaches are suspected.
The ICO is seeking personal assurance from health leaders that patient record safeguards are effective and enforced.