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Original poster

Someone Accessed my Medical Records

76 replies

maradyth · 07/10/2018 12:22

Hi there

I have searched the internet for an answer to this but can only find a post from this site in 2013 that is anything alike.

Basically this horrible woman who has been harassing me has almost certainly looked at my medical records unauthorised. I think this due to her saying things about my mental health (which I have a diagnosis of but not many people know). It is really upsetting.

She works as administrator in the hospital closest to me so would she be able to get into my files? She has also made fake Facebook profiles and written nasty comments on my account previous so I know she is very sneaky and quite obsessed. I would like to know what would you do and how do I find out for sure that she has been looking at my personal data?

I feel that if I contact the hospital I might get through to one of her friends and they will just lie anyway.

Is there any way of getting a list of people who have accessed my files in the last 6 months?

Thanks ever so much for any advice.

xxx

OP posts:
ThroughThickAndThin01 · 07/10/2018 12:26

What Department doesn’t she work in? If she’s in medical records she would be able to look in your file. I don’t know if there’s a way of checking who has looked at your file. If it’s physical paperwork there wouldn’t be a way to check who’s seen it.

HollowTalk · 07/10/2018 12:28

There is a way they can tell who's been looking at your records. You need to make a formal complaint to the hospital. If you really believe it's her, you should do this asap.

HollowTalk · 07/10/2018 12:28

How do you know she's behind the fake profiles?

HoleyCoMoley · 07/10/2018 12:29

That's nasty. You can write to PALS and the head of information governance at the hospital, they can see who has accessed your records, it might be better to email PALS with your complaint and ask for a meeting. They will investigate on your behalf.

Thinktwicefirst · 07/10/2018 12:34

You need to contact PALs. Hospitals keep records of IT activity and usually have a tracing system for paper notes. If she has accessed your notes without cause to do so she should be suspended during an investigation and then dismissed. Even if she had cause to look at your notes it is good practise to pass anything related to someone you know on to a colleague rather than deal with it yourself. You should be taken very seriously.

Original poster
maradyth · 07/10/2018 20:21

Thank you to everyone for your comments. And I know she was behind the fake profile because she had text someone that is my friend saying the exact same comment on an inbox from her personal account. The police issued a harassment warning over what she's done to me, phone calls calling me a psycho etc etc all recorded. Now she's doing it by only word of mouth so there's no evidence but I fear she has gone into my records as people in my town are now saying 'they've heard blah blah.. which only a few close friends know. xx

OP posts:
Original poster
maradyth · 07/10/2018 20:22

And I will email PALS tomorrow for sure. Thank you so much xx

OP posts:
Petalflowers · 07/10/2018 20:28

The hospital should have its own complaints service.

complaints procedure

pALS will be able to advise you, but I think you have to complain tomthe hospital directly. It’s a serious offence.

Wallywobbles · 07/10/2018 20:56

This is a massive deal. Hopefully someone will post about it. I work in a totally different sector but we'd be sacked for looking up our own records much less anyone else's. It's totally traceable if she's looked up online.

Original poster
maradyth · 08/10/2018 18:18

But another question, what if she looked from a different hospital? Is there any way of finding out who searched and looked at your file from any hospital / clinic rather than just asking specific ones?

Thanks so much for your advice so far xx

OP posts:
Disfordarkchocolate · 08/10/2018 18:22

If she has access to electronic medical records as part of her job they will be able to track if she has accessed these. If she has access to paper records they won't be able to see if she has looked at these unless she has booked the notes out in her name. Please complain, you can also ask for advice from the information commissioner.

Thinktwicefirst · 08/10/2018 19:03

Is the other hospital part of the same organisation or nhs trust? If they are then it will still show up. If not then it might be better to contact the pals team at your local ccg who can coordinate a response from both organisations.

Spudina · 08/10/2018 19:11

As written above contact PALS. Medical notes are electronic now. If she has accessed then there will be a trail leading to her which the hospital IT department will download. This is a huge deal. If she has accessed your records without a legitimate reason to do so, she will be fired.

Noboozeforme · 08/10/2018 19:39

I work for SS. Anything I look at can be tracked. It's the same for the NHS.

Go via PALS. Good luck.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 08/10/2018 19:47

Not all medical notes are electronic.

Lougle · 08/10/2018 19:52

Not all medical notes are electronic, but the tracking of them will be electronic, and the recording of who accessed the tracking of them will certainly be kept as an audit trail. Every time I look up a set of notes, a record is made and kept in the audit log. If anyone wants to audit that set of notes, it will tell them who has accessed the location information and when.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 08/10/2018 19:59

I work amongst about a million people’s paper records at the hospital I work at. There would be no record of me leafing through someone’s file. You would have to know the reference number, but if she works at the hospital anyone could look that up for her.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 09/10/2018 06:51

btw OP I think you should definitely try and get her held to account over this. It’s appalling if that’s what she’s doing . With a bit of luck there might be a trail that leads to her. Do you know what department she works in?

ParentsOfSummer · 09/10/2018 07:18

An avenue you might consider is a GDPR subject access request - get a copy of all data held and ask specifically for any records on who has accessed your data and when.

You can then make a complaint to the information commissioners office and bypass any of her friends - or get the evidence to make a direct complaint to the NHS

WTFIsAGleepglorp · 09/10/2018 07:29

There are the physical notes, which are hoicked from place to place around the hospital, there are electronic records, which are held locally by the hospital, which tend to be abbreviated versions of the hard copy notes with prescription details and there is a national record which anyone with the right authorisation can access.

There's less and less detail in each one.

If she works in medical records, she has more than likely pulled your file off a shelf, rolled it along in a trolley to a ward or clinic, pulled it off the trolley at the end of the day to pre-sort or re-filed it.

Contact PALS in the first instance.

Original poster
maradyth · 11/10/2018 10:18

Hi guys

Sorry for the late reply. Thank you for all your advice so far.
I emailed PALS on Tuesday morning. They emailed straight back and asked for my date of birth and the name of the pstaff member I suspected. I replied with this info but heard nothing back since. I just sent an email to ask for an update and got this message back:

Good morning
Our investigations are currently underway and I will be in touch shortly.
Kind regards

So now I'm wondering if this means that they have found something or just that they haven't had time to look yet? No idea what the process is?

And the person in question works in admin in the hospital. Would my files be there? Would they not be with my local G.P office?

Thanks so much again guys xx

OP posts:
Original poster
maradyth · 11/10/2018 10:20

*paper files I mean. I thought they were kept with the G.P clinic? She would not have access to them there at all. Just the hospital, which is one of 2 hospitals I would use so unsure where the paper files would be? xx

OP posts:
Bombardier25966 · 11/10/2018 10:22

It means they've nothing to tell you yet. They need to check their IT systems and speak to the person concerned.

Admin could be anything from a records clerk to a manager.

stepmummamumma · 11/10/2018 10:23

Im so glad that they are investigating this OP!! Good luck..

Sidge · 11/10/2018 10:30

It’s only been 2 days! Their investigation will potentially take weeks.

GPs don’t keep hospital records, they are separate. They will have an electronic summary of any letters and communications but physical notes are held in the hospital and most of what is recorded in the hospital won’t make its way to your GP.

If this person has been viewing your notes without a damned good reason then she will be in huge trouble. An audit trail will be followed and if she has breached confidentiality then it will be a disciplinary offence.