NHS to suspend staff suspected of snooping on patient records
Summary
NHS England will immediately suspend any staff suspected of looking at patient records without a valid reason. These staff will also be locked out of NHS computer systems to prevent further snooping, following several recent cases of unauthorized access to sensitive patient data.Key Facts
- NHS England has ordered all trusts to start suspending staff suspected of unauthorized access to patient records right away.
- Suspended staff will be blocked from NHS computer systems to stop further viewing of private medical information.
- The decision comes after cases involving access to records of attack victims and a deceased teenager.
- NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said patient records are extremely private and any abuse of access is unacceptable.
- Over the past five years, around 214 NHS staff have lost jobs and about 2,000 have been disciplined for snooping in patient files.
- Some unauthorized access has involved staff looking into records of relatives, friends, or high-profile patients out of curiosity.
- NHS organizations have separate record systems, but all have audit trails to show who accessed patient files and when.
- The family of a deceased autistic boy called for stronger action after staff accessed his records without permission.
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