Our NHS Digital data breach compensation action is well under way with a number of victims affected by the huge data breach already signed up to our service.
News of the massive breach affecting some 150,000 patients came just weeks after the new GDPR legislation came into force at the end of May 2018. A simple case of a software error is the underlying cause of the NHS Digital data breach, and with the healthcare sector already leading the way in terms of data breach incidents, this situation is unwelcome news.
Many people have approached us for help, and our Data Leak Lawyers have listened to their concerns and agreed to take cases forward.
How the NHS Digital data breach happened
The NHS Digital data breach has been caused by a software error that developers TPP have since apologised for. The system used by GPs to record patients’ wishes to opt-out of their information being shared and used within the NHS for clinical auditing and research was subject to a serious error that has led to some 150,000 people affected by the breach.
The issue was simple: although patients’ desires to not have their private and sensitive medical information shared and used was recorded, their desires were not then passed on to NHS Digital. The result is that patient data has therefore been used despite the patients’ wishes to specifically not have their data used in such a way.
The “Type 2” objections for patients who do not wish for their data to be used by the NHS for any other purpose than for individual care have simply not been honoured.
Compensation action for the NHS Digital Data Breach
As a result of the NHS Digital data breach, we have been approached by a number of concerned individuals who are unhappy about the fact that their personal and sensitive medical information has been shared and used in a way that was against their wishes. Having listened to their concerns, we have agreed to take a number of legal cases forward for people affected by the NHS Digital data breach.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a simple software error has led to huge problems within the NHS. The recent NHS Breast Cancer screen scandal has potentially cost lives. The importance of getting data use right within the NHS and the wider healthcare sector is incredibly important.