Sharing confidential medical data: claiming compensation

Sharing confidential medical information without proper consent can be a breach of the law, and victims can be eligible to claim compensation for any harm caused to them.

We take on a lot of data breach compensation cases that involve medical information, given how private and sensitive this kind of data is. We know from our wealth of experience in this niche and complex area of law just how badly people can be affected.

You can access free, no-obligation advice by contacting our team here now.

Compensation claims for sharing confidential medical information

If you have suffered due to someone sharing confidential medical information about you without consent, you could be eligible to pursue a claim for data breach compensation now.

The law entitles us to have the right to control who knows what about us. This right allows us to decide what we want people to know about us, and that our information is only used for specific and reasonable purposes. Medical data is some of the most private and sensitive information that there can be about us, so it can be afforded extra protection in law as well. If we lose control over our information, this can be incredibly distressing knowing that our privacy has been breached. This is what a claim is for: to recover damages for the hurt and distress that has been understandably caused.

Your Lawyers, The Data Leak Lawyers, as leading privacy compensation experts, we are used to seeing these kinds of claims all the time. They make up many of the thousands of clients that we represent, and the successful ones often attract large data breach compensation amounts and pay-outs. This reflects the degree of stress that can be caused when this kind of information is misused or exposed.

A recent incident

There was a recent incident reported that was centred on the issue of sharing confidential medical information without the consent of the people. People engaged in a Covid vaccine trial involving Lakeside Healthcare Research were reportedly sent an email about booster jabs, but the common error was used where the recipients were all visible in the email. This stems from using the dangerous and archaic method to send out mass emails where the recipients are simply copied into the visible address lines, which can then reveal the details of all the other recipients to one another.

In most cases, the intention is to use the “BCC” function, which can hide the recipients’ details. But, as we often say, this is still a dangerous and archaic method. There are plenty of readily available mass mailing systems and software that organisations can use, and they should always be used. There is no excuse for taking a careless approach like this that can put people at risk of a data breach.

Claim compensation for an NHS data breach

Many instances of sharing confidential medical data without proper and informed consent happen within the NHS. The GDPR can entitle the victim of such a privacy breach to be able to claim compensation for any distress caused by the loss of control of personal information.

If you have been affected by an NHS data breach, you can speak to our team here now for free, no-obligation advice. If the case is one that we can take forward for you, we may also be able to represent you for a case on a No Win, No Fee basis.

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