Impact of hospital data breaches

The impact of hospital data breaches can be incredibly severe given that we’re talking about some of the most personal and sensitive information there can be.

This can mean that the victims of this kind of medical data breach can suffer more, and it can also mean that hospitals are a bigger target for hackers.

As expert data protection lawyers, we can tell you from years of real experience in fighting for the rights of data breach victims that these kinds of legal cases need a specific approach. When it comes to sensitive medical data that has been exposed, data breach compensation amounts can be higher, and it takes specialist lawyers like us to make sure you get the best representation possible.

How we approach the impact of hospital data breaches

We usually approach the impact of hospital data breaches for victims in a different way to many other types of data protection claims.

This approach started when we pioneered legal action for victims of the 56 Dean Street Clinic leak back in 2015 which saw hundreds of people’s HIV status exposed. We make sure that we’re not just a law firm trying to obtain compensation for them; we’re there to provide high-quality advice and assistance every step of the way.

We have specific teams involved with those kinds of particularly sensitive cases. We get to know our clients very well which is good because we want a special relationship with them, and we want them to feel comfortable.

Not only do we approach these kinds of cases with the sensitivity that our clients deserve, we also go above and beyond to make sure our clients feel secure. They need to trust us with a great deal of their sensitive information as well, and we’re set up to make sure that our internal systems, processes and our communication with our clients is confidential and secure.

How we value cases

We always endeavour to make sure that the impact of hospital data breaches is reflected in any compensation amount that we recover for our clients. The compensation values can be high when it comes to sensitive hospital data like statuses, as there’s a great deal that can be exposed.

Some records may include sensitive medical statuses; mental health matters; substance use matters; domestic health information (past and present); and so on.

We can use our own experience as well as specialist reports to be able to evidence the impact to the victim, and prepare high-quality witness evidence to accompany the reports to build a strong case for a fair settlement. Any hospital data breach compensation claim must ensure that the victim feels like they have some form of justice for what they have to endure, and that’s at the forefront of our minds when we represent our clients using our specialist No Win, No Fee service.

Healthcare sector is a target

Cybercriminals know that the impact of hospital data breaches for the victims can be severe. They also know that the wealth of data that they can hack can be extensive.

And that’s why the healthcare sector in general is such a target. We witnessed in 2017 with the WannaCry incident just how severe a hack against the NHS can be.

Hospitals and healthcare organisations don’t want to expose information through hacks given that the impact for victims can be severe. This can make them an easy target for hackers who will price their ransomware demands reasonably enough to force an organisation to pay the fee as opposed to facing the higher costs and reputational damage associated with data exposure.

The only thing that hospitals and the healthcare sector in general can do is make sure that they invest in adequate security. Where they fail to do so and you fall victim to a data misuse or exposure incident, you can speak to our team for free, no-obligation advice today.

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