Primary Care Trusts take action after Data Protection Act breach
Printer friendly
Great Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust (PCT) informed the ICO of the theft of two desktop computers containing sensitive personal data relating to over 1,000 occupational therapy patients and staff members. The data included information about people's physical or mental health and, in some cases, details about their trade union membership. The personal information was held on the computers rather than on a network server and was not password protected. The premises did not have an intruder alarm system, the internal office doors did not have security locks and the computers were not protected with any form of encryption software.
Gloucestershire PCT informed the ICO of the theft of six desktop computers holding personal data relating to 2270 patients. The computers were used by medical secretaries for preparing letters and notes relating to diagnosis and referral of patients. Although the computers were password protected and were held in a locked office, the patient data should have been held on a local server, rather than on the hard drives of the stolen computers.
Formal Undertakings have now been signed by both Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT and Gloucestershire PCT, committing them to take a number of steps to ensure that personal data is processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act. The PCTs will ensure adequate security measures are in place to prevent unauthorised access to personal data, that any personal data required to be held on a portable device is suitably encrypted and staff are aware of the policies for the storage and use of personal data.
Mick Gorrill, Assistant Information Commissioner at the ICO, said: 'Both of these cases have put thousands of patients' sensitive personal information at risk. Personal information is valuable and keeping it safe and secure should be at the heart of good corporate governance. I am pleased these PCTs have taken steps to ensure patient data does not fall into the wrong hands.'
Failure to meet the terms of the Undertakings is likely to lead to enforcement action by the ICO. A copy of the Undertakings can be downloaded from www.ico.gov.uk.
- Login or Register to comment
- Add to a social bookmarking site
The Dispatch Box: A portfolio management approach to reducing the public sector deficit
Chris Mills, partner in PIPC’s Portfolio Management Practice, discusses how government can strike the right balance between cutting deeply and protecting critical investments...
"Research has repeatedly shown that over 50% of potential value from project investments is wasted year after year, through a combination of poor selection and sub-optimal execution.Clearly we can no longer afford such waste but getting the balance right between cutting deeply and protecting critical investments will be a major challenge for whichever government is in power after the election."
"So, what’s the answer?" Read more
Frontline Club: Digital Election 2010
A panel discussion on the importance of social media in determining the outcome of the forthcoming general election, recorded at the Frontline Club in London.