A medical information breach doesn’t have to mean that a GP or a hospital has caused the exposure of data, as many organisations can hold this kind of data for people.
And as outsourcing to private companies becomes increasingly more common, there may be greater risks when it comes to this type of information being leaked or exposed.
It’s important to discuss the topic of medical data breach compensation claims given how common they can be. A huge volume of the individual legal cases we take forward involve some kind of medical data being misused or exposed. On top off that, several of the group and multi-party actions that we’re fighting for justice in are also medical actions. Victims should know their rights, and we’re here to help as expert data breach lawyers.
Claiming compensation for a medical information breach
Making a medical information breach compensation claim can be an important part of the process for justice.
This form of data is recognised as one of the most personal and sensitive types that there is. It’s understandable to not want your medical statuses and ailments known to the world. It’s perfectly justifiable to not want everyone knowing about procedures you may have had in the past. And that’s why these kinds of cases are important.
They can also be common because the levels of distress that the victim can suffer can be huge, and in many instances this will prompt a victim to take action. Data breach compensation pay-outs when the data exposed or misused is medical can be significant, and the value of a case is often dependent on the impact to the victim.
Many ways it can happen
When we talk about a medical information breach, we’re usually talking about the nature of the data that has been exposed instead of who has exposed it.
There may be external companies processing medical information whose networks could be compromised. It may be that your employer leaks access to your medical data to someone else or to colleagues internally. Local councils and government authorities also hold medical data and they could be guilty of a misuse or exposure event.
Ultimately, a medical data breach doesn’t have to involve the NHS. It doesn’t even have to involve a doctor’s surgery or a hospital. It could even be your insurance company that ends up responsible for a data breach. Hackers target this kind of data because it can be valuable when in their possession.
Free advice and No Win, No Fee Claims
If you think you may have a claim for compensation as a result of a medical information breach, you can speak to our team for free, no-obligation advice today.
We’re normally open most weekdays until 10pm and on most weekends from 9am to 5pm.
If we believe that we can take your case forward, we can offer to represent you on a No Win, No Fee basis. As big believers in access to justice, we want to make sure that our clients are protected if a case doesn’t succeed. Although we only take a claim forward where we believe we have a good chance to success, we cannot always predict when a claim will win or not unless we actively pursue it. Our No Win, No Fee means that you can rest assured that there are guarantees in place for you.