To ask how i can find out who has accessed my medical records?

[sellotape2021]

Posting in here for traffic!
This is in Wales, so specifically I need help accessing it in wales - i can't find any information online

an (ex) friend has accessed my medical records, or someone she works with/knows has.

A mutual friend bumped into my ex friend and ex friend told her all about the problems I have been having lately and the hospital treatment i received. I have not told anyone, not even close friends or family about this particular treatment I received so it has been leaked from someone and I intend to find out who.

She works in a doctors surgery in a different town that I live in but the hospital i received the treatment in, is in the same town that she works in so I'm assuming that system is somehow interlinked. I'm not a patient at her surgery but apparently that doesn't matter as they can still access me on the hospital database?

I know she is best mates with the practice manager at the surgery where she works so ringing and asking them for help would be no good as she would be altered that I'm on to her.

I don't fully understand how it all works but as far as i can work out it is possible to access "some" information in the hospital records if you work in an admin position in a doctors.

All I can find out online is how to access my own records but not the audit trail about who has accessed them and when.

I don't think asking my GP surgery would help because I don't think she has accessed that information, i think it would have been the hospital information she accessed.

Does anyone know who I can contact please?

You won't get away with it if someone complains and you are investigated. It will immediately be obvious but if they don't you possibly can because people can't be watched all the time.
A message does come up to say 'are you sure' because it can easily be an accident eg opening someone's with a similar name to the one you want but they don't absolutely stop you if you say you have a good reason. You have to deliberately lie though. The thought you could be challenged and lose your career and just basic ethics would stop any decent clinician doing this.
There are random audits as well and sometimes these pick up IG breaches and you are emailed to justify your access.

Go to the ICO her mate will not be able to fob them off.

@LemonSherbetFancies

I have an almost exact dilemmia. I think a friend of mine who is a dietician has viewed my health records. She works at a different hospital but she knows things that I have not told her. From what has been said, it seems it is do able and that you can get away with it

Please report it, they can't get away with it.

My husbands mother accessed his records when he got sick. She did eventually retire so it stopped. As she knew information we hadn't told her and she then admitted logging in. Disgusting behaviour. This is nit in the Uk but I could still report it.

@BlueBaguette

If PALS can't find anything I'd contact the practice manager via email to leave a record of the conversation, and if they do indeed say nothing is going on report it to CQC. It quite easy to submit a report via their website and they are very thorough. You could also ask PALS if there's a regional director responsible for the GP surgeries in your area.

do you have a link to a website, i think i might be looking at the wrong thing i cant see anything on this website about submitting a report...

Do a freedom of information request to the doctored to ask for all details of the past two years of who has accessed your medical records

Do the same for your gp and the hospital

Please raise it as a data breach simultaneously. Get EVERYTHING in writing.

@Chloemol

Do a freedom of information request to the doctored to ask for all details of the past two years of who has accessed your medical records

Do the same for your gp and the hospital

I asked for this and was told they are the ones that need to look into it - i'm guessing that means i can't have access to it?

@sellotape2021 www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us/report-concern/report-concern-if-you-are-member-public

There's an online form you can fill in if you click 'Tell us about your care now' or you can email or call them. Hope you get it sorted

[quote BlueBaguette]@sellotape2021 www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us/report-concern/report-concern-if-you-are-member-public

There's an online form you can fill in if you click 'Tell us about your care now' or you can email or call them. Hope you get it sorted[/quote]
looks like thats only for England, when i try to search for the address only english addresses are coming up

Are you registered online with your GP. My online account tells me if anyone has accessed my records (not who, but it specifies if they’ve been accessed so presumably one can then pursue further if desired).

I think you probably want it look down both avenues - the hospital and the GP and pp’s have given some good advice on doing this.

I'm so sorry, I thought CQC was nationwide. Care Inspectorate Wales are the equivalent of CQC and you can report to them here; careinspectorate.wales/contact-us/raise-concern

Actually I think for medical in Wales you want hiw.org.uk/

careinspectorate.wales/

This is the correct organisation to contact in Wales

She can get in a lot of trouble, it is illegal to access records if not involved in your care, and if someone who was involved talked about it it should be an appropriate professional basis only not gossip.

@Chloemol

Do a freedom of information request to the doctored to ask for all details of the past two years of who has accessed your medical records

Do the same for your gp and the hospital

You won't get this information, it will be redacted to protect the privacy of any staff.

Don’t forget to Sue for money, OP. A sorry is not good enough. Get that bank!

Sue Sue Sue.

This sounds very distressing OP. I hope you get to the bottom of it!

FOI isn't the right route for this information. It is a subject access request.

FOI provides statistical/financial information about public sector organisations.

Subject access provides details about the information held about you.

In this instance though I would start with a complaint and state why you are raising it (that the person concerned knew information that hadn't been shared with anyone except the NHS) and the practice is duty bound to investigate it and identify any computer misuse.

It is possible that someone that had legitimate access to the information then inappropriately divulged it and that would be harder to prove as you wont be able to prove which person shared it. However there would be an investigation with individuals formally interviewed. If they are able to identify inappropriate access then there is a potential for dismissal.

@LemonSherbetFancies

I have an almost exact dilemmia. I think a friend of mine who is a dietician has viewed my health records. She works at a different hospital but she knows things that I have not told her. From what has been said, it seems it is do able and that you can get away with it

Please report this. I'm a Dietitian, you can be struck off the HCPC register and sacked for unauthorised access. We take this very seriously!

I'm sure it showed it on systmonline. I remember seeing my mum's dietician had looked at her records. The GP has reduced access to just prescriptions now so I can't check.

I would report it to the ICO, I think that is the most likely way you are going to get answers and action taken.

ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/your-personal-information-concerns/

Absolutely complain to ICO it's the only way to actually get to the truth.

How awful for you

How can I find out who has accessed my medical records? I’m worried a director of a hospital has accessed my records or gotten someone else to do it without my permission. I have never been to this hospital. Can someone advice who do I need to contact first please?