NHS Security breach
Clients often ask us if it's acceptable to fax patient file details to us. Understandably as seen below we are nervous about this and always encourage users to use our secure hosted ftp site for transferring data. After that they can then view our secure, encrypted online ordering service for viewing, editing and ordering files.
Just published is the following article...........
The ICO has been flexing its muscles recently, and rightly so. Following last week’s £70,000 fine to a London Council, on Monday it issued a huge £90,000 fine to a London NHS Trust.
Over a 3 month period Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust faxed patient lists to the wrong recipient on 45 occasions. The lists, sent from the Pembridge Palliative Care Unit, contained sensitive information of 59 individuals and information relating to their medical diagnoses and domestic situations.
The breach was only discovered when the individual receiving the lists informed the Trust. Stephen Eckerlsey, head of the ICO’s enforcement commented:
“Patients rely on the NHS to keep their details safe. In this case Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust failed to keep their patients sensitive information secure. The fact that this information was sent to the wrong recipient for three months without anyone noticing, makes this case all the more worrying“.
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