Someone is fraudulently using MHS number

[Coldinthecity]

My DD called her GP about three weeks ago to make an appointment. Was told she’d been deregistered, her ‘new’ address is student accommodation. All details changed back, didn’t think much else of fee ex
Today DD received a message from the new surgery stating she can now access her online MHS account. The new girls details are on there, her name (same
surname as DD), email etc. The young woman can access all of DDs medical records.

Shes called the new GP and they will call back tomorrow once they’ve reported it.

Has this happened to anyone else? The young woman has also had two prescriptions which I hope she’s paid for!

Just to add the young woman has come from abroad and has never had an NHS GP before, I can’t understand how that wasn’t flagged given DD has all her life.

How do you know it is fraudulent rather than an error?

It could be error but it’s suspicious to me that they have different first names, the young woman is uso f her own as preferred but a text from the surgery stated with Hello DD. DD changed her address a couple of weeks ago, the young woman changed it back when she had an appointment this month.

My guess is this is a massive error (and GDPR breach!) on behalf of someone at the surgery and not fraud. I would assume it’s very difficult to just come up with an NHS number of someone who happens to have the same surname as you to ‘steal’ their healthcare. Somewhere someone has screwed up. I would make sure you report widely.

Explain the process you think was followed?

The other person would either have to register with your DD's NHS number, in whch case surely they would use all your DD's details, or they would have to know all your DD's details, and which GP they were with, and impersonate them.

Surely error is more likely?

@LightSwerve it does make more sense that it’s an admin error. Looking at the other young persons registration form she clearly wasn’t impersonating my DD as they only share a surname and birthdate- the other information clearly doesn’t relate to DD.

Action has been taken as DD now can’t access much of her account, hopefully it will be reinstated just for DD and she won’t lose all her medical records as she has a long term condition.

Ive had an NHS number error before and its still not sorted. It took my 6 different trips and god knows how many phone calls to get my first covid vaccine as it was on there that id already had one at the other end of the country, but i hadnt! And they wouldnt adminster the dose without it. I then couldnt get the second one as there is two on my record, mine vaccine one and the other persons vaccine one. But mine had been put in as dose two! Id given up by the time the vaccinations stopped and its still on there!

it's clearly going to be a tech/admin error and it's also the other person's confidentiality that's being breached. Hope it's sorted soon.