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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To feel very suspicious of her?

224 replies

Suspicious122 · 28/06/2021 21:42

My friend is a dietician for the NHS.
I have been undergoing some treatment at a different hospital than hers. My issue is she seems to know details which she really shouldn't know especially as my issue is nothing to do with her area of knowledge. I am starting to think she has looked at my file. Aibu to ask if this is possible?

OP posts:

MichelleScarn · 28/06/2021 22:27

@Suspicious122

My friend is a dietician for the NHS. I have been undergoing some treatment at a different hospital than hers. My issue is she seems to know details which she really shouldn't know especially as my issue is nothing to do with her area of knowledge. I am starting to think she has looked at my file. Aibu to ask if this is possible?

Have re read, and is she saying she knows about YOUR actual treatment or generically what someone with that condition would be prescribed/need? You tend to pick up general stuff in hospital and dieticians can work across all specialities.

OhWhyNot · 28/06/2021 22:27

Yes she could gain access if in the same trust

But it’s recorded everything we do on the system is traceable and one of the only reason I’ve known people to be sacked (it’s almost impossible to get sacked from the nhs) of you are suspicious you can complain and ask this to be looked into

It would be extremely foolish of her (and of course unprofessional and extremely unkind) we are all well aware we should never access files we do not need to even our own

cansu · 28/06/2021 22:30

In order to find out you will need to make a complaint. Once you do this there is no going back. She will either be shown to be innocent or she will be fired. Unless she is someone you have no interest in as a friend, you should think about what you do next. If she is a real friend, I would speak to her. I don't think I would want to get my friend fired. I would however maybe ask her directly and if she said yes, tell her that she absolutely should not do this even if she was doing it to try and help.

Tistheseason17 · 28/06/2021 22:30

You could simply ask for an audit of your record and who accessed it. That way you can say nothing if it turns out your friend was just talking generally about your condition. Then you can internally eat humble pie!

or if it turns out she was looking at it you can take it from there - huge breach of trust and data breach.

cansu · 28/06/2021 22:31

The other possibility is that she has asked a colleague about likely issues in your medical condition and has made informed guesses.

Original poster

Suspicious122 · 28/06/2021 22:33

The friendship would be over if she looked. It is a huge breach of privacy and not something I could forgive.
I will ask for the audit.

OP posts:

Keeping2ChevronsApart · 28/06/2021 22:34

@Suspicious122

I am in England, yes. Freaked me out as seen a post on here where someone who worked at a hospital was talking about how they could view anyones record and was looking all their friends and family up.

That's awful!

StillCalmX · 28/06/2021 22:35

Did she give away that she knows without thinking or did she look awkward immediately afterwards.

godmum56 · 28/06/2021 22:36

Even with paper records, there will be a record of who requested the record and yes its a sacking offence and a good job too. The only other thing I can think of is that you have a mutual acquaintance who has seen you at the department you go to, but that is equally as bad and as sackable. Have you ever mentioned any of your symptoms to her even in passing like ooo my xxx is painful today. Its amazing what you do pick up as an nhs clinician, I know loads of stuff generally that is way outside my area of expertise and its not difficult to work out some diagnoses, but not professional at all to mention it. If its detail specific to you then she needs to be reported. Its just not on!

Keeping2ChevronsApart · 28/06/2021 22:37

@Suspicious122

My friend is a dietician for the NHS. I have been undergoing some treatment at a different hospital than hers. My issue is she seems to know details which she really shouldn't know especially as my issue is nothing to do with her area of knowledge. I am starting to think she has looked at my file. Aibu to ask if this is possible?

What sort of things has she been saying?

godmum56 · 28/06/2021 22:38

Suspicious122
" am in England, yes.
Freaked me out as seen a post on here where someone who worked at a hospital was talking about how they could view anyones record and was looking all their friends and family up."

is it a recent post? have you got a link to it please?

StillCalmX · 28/06/2021 22:40

I remember the thread where a poster wanted to change gp because a school mum aquaintance got a job as a receptionist. But most people were saying itd be more than her job was worth to do nosy searches.

Singinginshower · 28/06/2021 22:42

OP it's not clear whether you are saying she has details about you and your treatment, or whether you are saying she has knowledge about the condition you have. ( which presumably she could know for a number of reasons, such as having patients with the same condition, or even other friends or family members)

HollowTalk · 28/06/2021 22:47

So is it something like this, for instance: you have booked into another hospital for bariatric surgery. You haven't told her or anyone who knows her. Then she said to you, "What date is your bariatric surgery booked for?"

HollowTalk · 28/06/2021 22:48

Sorry, I've just seen your issue is nothing to do with her area of expertise - just use another example of surgery instead.

AnotherDayAnotherCake · 28/06/2021 22:48

Could it also be possible that she used someone else’s log in details? In which case her own name wouldn’t be on the electronic record.
I know this used to happen where I worked (not NHS).

I would ask for the audit.

yourestandingonmyneck · 28/06/2021 22:49

@Suspicious122

Yes I do want her fired if she has looked at my records. No chance she has found it out from anyone else. I have not shared it with anyone but DP and he has not even met her yet. None of us have shared on social media about it either.

If it's something you would share on social media I'm guessing it's a pregnancy?

How close a friend is she? As a op stated, yes, of course she shouldn't have looked (if she has indeed looked) but getting her sacked for gross misconduct is huge. Be very sure that's what you want before going down that route.

TheChosenTwo · 28/06/2021 22:50

Would someone really risk their job to be nosey? I have no idea how explicit it’s made to staff regarding severity of this, but if it’s incredibly clear she’d have to be very stupid to look.
Are you sure she’s not just making assumptions based on what she’s picked up along the way somewhere?
I’m not saying she hasn’t, it’s just that I’m struggling to see a motive when it could cost her a job!

minipeanut · 28/06/2021 22:53

Each time I look at a record on the system it is reported in the record history, she would be very stupid to look at your records.

TheDaydreamBelievers · 28/06/2021 22:53

@AnotherDayAnotherCake

Could it also be possible that she used someone else’s log in details? In which case her own name wouldn’t be on the electronic record. I know this used to happen where I worked (not NHS).

I would ask for the audit.

No, not impossible but highly unlikely because we get it drummed into us a billion times over that if we share our login details, that's also a fireable offence. Also she would have to have asked someone who is a clinician for OP to look at it, otherwise if she just used another random NHS employee's login details then they also wouldnt be allowed to look at OPs file on the system. Basically, I would recommend OP complain and ask her electronic record access to be audited, to check if anyone who shouldnt have has accessed it (but specifically this person).

EmmaGrundyForPM · 28/06/2021 22:56

If she has done this then she deserves to be sacked.

I have worked in the NHS in the past. It is an absolute no no to look up any records unless there is a valid reason to do so.

AngelicaSchuylerAndHerSisters · 28/06/2021 22:58

My mum was once contacted by police years ago to say her medical records had been accessed unlawfully by a student doctor. I can’t remember what happened in the end but it was obviously taken very seriously.

godmum56 · 28/06/2021 23:02

@AnotherDayAnotherCake

Could it also be possible that she used someone else’s log in details? In which case her own name wouldn’t be on the electronic record. I know this used to happen where I worked (not NHS).

I would ask for the audit.

Letting someone else know your login details is a disciplnary offence in the NHS, as is stuff like staying logged in, leaving screens open, leacving stuff on desks and so on. Og course actually telling someone your details is the worst but its still serious to leave them around written down for instance.

Lunde · 28/06/2021 23:03

@TheChosenTwo

Would someone really risk their job to be nosey? I have no idea how explicit it’s made to staff regarding severity of this, but if it’s incredibly clear she’d have to be very stupid to look. Are you sure she’s not just making assumptions based on what she’s picked up along the way somewhere? I’m not saying she hasn’t, it’s just that I’m struggling to see a motive when it could cost her a job!

Everyone in healthcare knows it is a sackable offense. Unfortunately some people do risk their jobs to be nosey not realising that they leave an electronic trail

SD1978 · 28/06/2021 23:04

As someone has asked, is the hospital in the same trust, or a different one? If it's a different trust then the answer is no, if it's the same one, you can for a check on what she has accessed

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