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Massive NHS data breach affects 150,000

A massive NHS data breach affecting 150,000 people in England was reportedly caused by a simple coding error with GP software.

The SystemOne application used by GPs reportedly failed to record patient objections to their data being shared for reasons excluding when it is required for help and care. This meant that those who had specifically opted-out for health data sharing have had their health data shared without their consent because the objections were not passed over to NHS England’s IT provider.

One simple software issue leads to a massive NHS data breach…

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Ed Sheeran hospital data breach is not an uncommon occurrence

The circumstances surrounding the Ed Sheeran hospital data breach is not an uncommon occurrence.

Two members of staff at the Ipswich Hospital were disciplined for illegally accessing Ed Sheeran’s private medical information after he’d sustained injuries from a bicycle accident, with the star suffering from a broken his right wrist and left elbow that led to tour dates being cancelled.

One staff member embroiled in the data breach has been sacked while the other has reportedly received a written warning after being caught accessing Ed Sheeran’s personal details without any reason; but this kind of behaviour is not uncommon.

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Delivery drivers responsible for data breaches

The new GDPR that came into force last month has potentially allowed for delivery drivers to be responsible for data breaches, which has led to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) issuing a warning over the potential risks.

The GDPR outlines that the sending of personal data to the incorrect recipient falls within the scope of a data breach, meaning delivery driver errors can be classed as a data protection breach.

According to the NPA’s latest safety report, delivery drivers accounted for 5% of all dispensing errors in a period of just three months.

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Over a million records subject to patient healthcare data breaches

We’re halfway through 2018, and a recent study has suggested that over a million records have been subject to patient healthcare data breaches so far; and that was actually in the first quarter of the year.

The data released last month perhaps highlights the extent of patient healthcare data breaches and how common they are, which in turn goes to show why so many people come forward to claim for medical data breach compensation.

Other findings in the studies also highlighted a number of common problems we’re already aware of as a firm of lawyers who fight for the rights of data breach victims.

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More access of patient records without authorisation in the NHS

There has been another prosecution over the access of patient records without authorisation in the NHS.

The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined and prosecuted Michelle Harrison, formerly employed by Milton Keynes Hospital Trust, for accessing patient records without authorisation. Harrison reportedly pleaded guilty to improperly accessing the records of 12 people without any need or authorisation to do so.

This prosecution is the latest in a long line the ICO has had to enforce against NHS staff accessing medical records when they shouldn’t be.

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Last year’s WannaCry attack was a lucky escape for the NHS

Last year’s WannaCry attack was a lucky escape, and the government is quite rightfully being urged to learn lessons from the encounter. We are almost a year on from the day that saw around one-third of all NHS Trusts in England disrupted by the malware attack that specifically targeted older (and therefore weaker) systems and servers.

The attack saw hundreds of other NHS organisations – including almost 600 GPs – infected during the attack, and some 20,000 hospital appointments and operations were cancelled.

Ultimately, the WannaCry attack was simple malware that still managed to cripple the NHS. It was a lucky escape, and future attacks involving medical data could be far, far worse.
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Hospital data breach compensation

You are entitled to claim for hospital data breach compensation if your personal and medical data has ever been leaked, hacked or generally breached.

A hospital data breach can of course be very severe, given the type of data they often hold about people.

A patient can be entitled to claim compensation for any distress or serious psychological harm caused as a result of a hospital data breach. Whether it’s general data or sensitive medical data that is private and personal, the avenue for compensation is available for victims.
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NHS Healthcare systems most vulnerable to data protection breaches caused by hackers

A recent study concluded that, in January, almost 40% of data protection breaches in a particular healthcare sector were caused by hacking.

Although the figures are from one study, and the results are relevant for the area of the study, the risk of NHS Trusts, doctors and hospitals falling victim to a hack is a serious and ongoing concern.

The 2017 “WannaCry” cyber-hack that specifically targeted older and more outdated systems hit the NHS hard. In fact, the UK faced a practical crisis in the immediate fallout of the hack.
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NHS staff accessing neighbour’s medical records is NOT okay

There is a recent worrying trend of NHS staff being caught out snooping on people they know, or are related to, by abusing their powers to access their medical records.

Let’s be absolutely clear: it is NOT okay for any member of the NHS to access their neighbour’s medical records without good reason or due authorisation.

If you are informed that a member of the NHS staff has accessed your medical records in such a way, or if you discover it has happened, you may be entitled to claim for data protection breach compensation.
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NHS health board left “devastated and disappointed” after another employee data protection breach

In what Hywel Dda University Health Board admitted to be the second data protection breach they have faced of this nature, yet another NHS worker has been caught accessing confidential medical records without a valid reason.

Instances of NHS workers accessing medical records when they have no reason or right to access them is a common problem at the moment. Most of the time, staff committing the breaches are accessing records for people they know out of nothing more than curiosity.
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