Inappropriate access to medical records: advice for victims

Issues relating to inappropriate access to medical records is something we have talked about before. It’s completely wrong and can have a huge impact for the victims.

In some cases – and this is what we will look at here – unauthorised access to medical data can be a great deal more sinister than staff being curious about people they’re acquainted with. In some cases, employees have accessed information for more sinister means, where they have targeted specific individuals to pursue them for relations.

We have represented people who have been unscrupulously contacted by employees who have accessed their contact data through their employment to then engage them for relations. In these kinds of scenarios, the impact for the victim can be substantial, so it’s important to know your rights.

Highly inappropriate access to medical records

A healthcare employee abusing the wide variety of databases they can access to acquire the contact information for someone they wish to pursue for relations is disturbing. This kind of inappropriate access to medical records is not only wrong and illegal, but it’s sinister and can cause serious distress for the victims.

Unfortunately, it can happen. Employees will have access to information for people they’re involved with the care for, and they could then access contact information to engage with them. We have also seen cases where employees have used false names having accessed contact information for people they then intend to pursue.

Not only is this wrong, but for the victim, it can be terrifying. As well as being a breach of important data protection laws, it can also turn into harassment. The victim may already have previously had issues with harassment which could exacerbate the situation even further as well.

The impact for victims

In cases of inappropriate access to medical records, we understand the impact to the victims. A lot of the legal cases that we take forward are for medical data breach compensation claims because of how often they can happen. We’re experts in this area of law with a proven track record of representing victims with a wealth of experience specifically in data breach claiming that goes back for years.

We’re used to seeing the impact this kind of medical records data breach can cause. We’re used to putting together impact statements as well as expert evidence to prove cases, and we understand that the distress that can be caused can be substantial.

This is more than just a data breach when someone accesses information they have no right to so they can pursue a victim for relations. Data breach compensation pay-outs are often determined based on the extent and severity of the distress that can be caused. When it comes to medical data cases, we’re talking about exposure and misuse of some of the most private and sensitive information there is. And when someone predatory accesses this data for their own means, the distress that can be caused can be worsened.

Justice for victims

One of the problems with incidents of inappropriate access to medical records is that it’s often the case that the damage is already done by the time the breach has been discovered.

There are plenty of ways that the NHS can audit their IT systems to see what people have already accessed, but by this time, the breach has already taken place. Given that many employees need access to a wealth of medical data, it can be hard to prevent this kind of thing from happening. By this point, the damage may already have been done.

As such, justice for victims is vitally important, and this is what we can offer. No amount of money may make up for what has happened, but you may be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation with us on a No Win, No Fee basis.

All our initial advice is available on a free, confidential and no-obligation basis. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team for advice today.

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