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“Paperless NHS with a Data Protection Risk” – Plans to bring the NHS into the ‘digital age’ could mean data protection risks for all NHS patients

It’s all well and good to go paperless and save money; but hasn’t this all been said and attempted before?

The NHS want to be innovators in the ‘digital age’ – and rightly so. Earlier this year, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt promised to save the U.K. £4.4 billion with an investment plan to make the health service more efficient by going paperless. But, as Hunt pushes for a paperless health service, concerns are still brewing amongst the data protection camp.

And it’s a real concern with the health sector still the biggest perpetrators of data breaches and leaks.
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Brits not happy about companies using healthcare data

A large number of people are uncomfortable that commercial bodies are able to access their anonymised healthcare records, surveys have found.

Health charity the Wellcome Trust surveyed 2,000 participants and found that the majority (53%) of people were happy to have their data used by commercial organisations, but only for research. 60% would rather commercial research organisations had access to their health data so that society do not miss out on the benefits the company could produce.

However, there was a minority of people (17%) that completely objected to private companies having any access to their health data, which raised the suggestion that an opt-out option should be available for anyone who does not want their health data shared.

Only a quarter supported sharing anonymised health data with insurance companies in order to get better insurance prices, and 37% supporting it being shared for marketing health products.
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Health apps – could your data be breached?

Apps are being created all the time that allow people to monitor their health and fitness. By monitoring our health, it allows people to have a greater control on their life.

But are we exposing ourselves to data breaches when using these apps? How secure is our data really?
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Are fitness trackers leaking personal data?

Many people have fitness trackers. You can have them on your Smartphone, tablets, and smart watches.

These trackers can allow everyone to monitor their fitness levels whilst on the go. However, despite fitness trackers being useful, its been reported that they may contain security weaknesses which allow hackers access to data.

This somewhat takes the shine off these useful devices if users are vulnerable to data leaks!
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Victim awarded £75,000 after police disclose her details without consent

A woman received a £75,000 settlement after Greater Manchester Police disclosed her personal information without her consent.

In 2014 the woman agreed that details of the domestic abuse she suffered from a former partner could be used in training sessions for officers and support agencies on the basis that her information would be anonymous.

It was later discovered, however, that her identity and medical history was disclosed in full. This was also disclosed to a wider audience. A recording of a 999 call was played as well, where she had called for help after an assault.
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200 patients contacted after Nurse has bag stolen

A potential data breach may have taken place after a nurse had her handbag stolen when her car was broken into.

The car was an out-of-hour’s vehicle that a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust nurse was using on the 9th of July and was parked outside a patient’s house in East Chesterton when the theft took place. Documents containing details of some 200 patients where inside the bag and may now be at risk of being leaked.
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Breach of NHS Patient confidentiality – more common than you think!

All members of the NHS have a duty to not disclose patient’s personal information. This is a part of the foundation of a patient/ doctor relationship. However, whilst most people believe their personal information is protected, data breaches by the NHS have been discovered to be more common than you think!

NHS data breaches can have serious consequences for the victims involved.
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Confidentially and the NHS – Your Rights

All members of the NHS are under a duty to keep patient information confidential. This is crucial for patients as they may otherwise be put off seeking medical advice if they believed their personal information would not remain confidential.

Guidelines have been provided by the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association that medical staff must follow to ensure that patient’s information is kept confidential.
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LinkedIn’s 2012 leak has just gone from 6.5 million affected users to 100 million!

Back in 2012, LinkedIn suffered a major hack with a reported 6.5 million users affected. Hacked data included user information – email addresses and partial passwords – and LinkedIn users were told back in 2012 to change their passwords.

Four years on and more account details, allegedly from the same 2012 hack, have now emerged online, and the figure we’re talking about is now 117 million.
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Millions of users of hacked dating website ‘Beautiful People’ personal info sold online

The personal details of 1.2 million users of the dating website Beautiful People are being sold online.

Members information for the dating site which caters for what they consider to be “beautiful people only” where users are voted in by existing users over a 48 hour period, is now being sold on the black market. The information available includes names, ratings, dates of birth, social habits, educational backgrounds, locations, income and financial information, personal interests, sexual preferences, and passwords.

Millions of messages sent between users are also said to have been leaked as well.
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