Bristol NHS Basis Belief mentioned it was endeavor a “thorough investigation” and it might be “inappropriate to achieve conclusions earlier than these enquiries are full”.
“Each affected person and household has the proper to count on that their private data might be handled with care, respect and confidentiality,” mentioned Prof Steve Hams, the belief’s chief nursing and enchancment officer.
“Any concern that information could have been accessed and not using a official cause is one thing we take extraordinarily severely.”
The belief mentioned that, ought to any workers misconduct be recognized, “applicable motion might be taken by means of the related processes”.
NHS medical information can comprise extremely delicate private data, starting from check outcomes and hospital discharge summaries to particulars of prescriptions and medicines.
That extends effectively past the knowledge accessible to sufferers by means of the NHS app and will embody safeguarding considerations, threat assessments, correspondence between healthcare professionals and detailed session notes.
There isn’t any single NHS-wide digital report system that each member of workers can entry.
As an alternative, organisations together with GP practices, hospitals and specialist clinics keep their very own information and decide who can view explicit data.
Medical doctors, nurses and different healthcare workers typically want quick entry, notably in emergencies.
Nevertheless, they need to solely view confidential data after they have a official work-related cause and the proper authorisation.
IT programs hold an audit path that ought to be capable to present precisely who accessed a affected person’s information and when.
NHS England mentioned any occasion of workers information and not using a legitimate cause can be “wholly unacceptable, a disgraceful breach of sufferers’ belief and in opposition to the legislation”.
“Now we have been crystal clear that workers may face disciplinary motion for any breaches, together with the lack of their job and potential legal prosecution,” added a spokesman.