To feel very suspicious of her?

[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?

Good post.
Let us know how you get on OP, this is awful if she has. Also how stupid of her to tell you this!

I work for the LA and have access to a database that details everyone receiving social care/has received social care/is a carer etc. I'd be sacked if I looked up anyone I know.

I have inadvertently seen people I know come in to be worked with so I don't open the case and ensure a colleague takes it instead. Also seen people's names come up when searching for someone else, but I'd never go into the record.

If you think they know stuff they shouldn't then make enquiries to the trust. Also you can get your record locked I think.

@Qwertywertyisme

I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.

she might be worried about outing herself....If I thought that a friend had done this to me, I'd be being careful what i said too.

What do you mean she 'knows details'?

I know details on lots of medical conditions not remotely in my chosen field because we had to learn all sorts during our degree, I even studied nutrition but its not remotely my 'area' (embryology research).

I have given advice to many friends on their conditions, things such as cancer etc... but I never saw their files and would have zero access to them, its just generic info and facts on their condition using what they have told me about their diagnosis.

We have had someone from our trust who was looking up family members to pressure them into have the vaccine. Everything is traceable so please contact the relevant department and get it checked.

@godmum56

I understand that but without more info we cannot address the issue as we cannot know the answer.

Answering A) she knew specifics or B) she knew general stuff would not be outing.

I, like others, are wondering if this is indeed a reverse

I haven't read the full thread but you can request to know if someone has accessed your files - just say her name and her registration number and it can be checked.

[quote Qwertywertyisme]@godmum56

I understand that but without more info we cannot address the issue as we cannot know the answer.

Answering A) she knew specifics or B) she knew general stuff would not be outing.

I, like others, are wondering if this is indeed a reverse[/quote]
I agree but even though there might be no basis for her worry, she might still be worried.
If this is a reverse then I hope the poster is shaking in her shoes

Oh PS, if you have little or no medical knowledge yourself then what may be general can look like a specific...the same way that fake mediums work

I agree @godmum56

I may be totally wrong, just seems to be avoiding many questions.

I too would be furious, no matter how long our friendship had been. It's like someone going through all your bedroom drawers without permission, worse though obviously.

@Qwertywertyisme

I agree *@godmum56*

I may be totally wrong, just seems to be avoiding many questions.

I too would be furious, no matter how long our friendship had been. It's like someone going through all your bedroom drawers without permission, worse though obviously.

yes good analogy

@Qwertywertyisme
I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.

The fact that OP said "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." suggests that it wasn't general stuff that she could have worked out. Why should OP state exactly what her friend has said, it is clear that these are personal details that her friend shouldn't know about.

Qwertywertyisme
I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.*

The fact that OP said "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." suggests very clearly that it wasn't general stuff that she could have worked out. Why should OP state exactly what her friend has said, it is obvious that OP is baffled why her friend has details of her personal condition. I don't think OP needs to specify anymore than that and I don't understand what you would gain from that knowledge. Isn't it enough that the OP is aware that this friends knows more than she should do.

apologies for repeat, I posted before I had finished

I had a family member do this when I was a child and when I was an adult reveal something sinister on my records.
I have no idea what to do with the information and I'm so angry they even looked.
They acted as though it wasn't even a bad thing to do and minimised their actions. This was in the 80's so nothing can be done but if I was in the OPs position I would ask for an audit

@Thiscantreallybehappening

Qwertywertyisme I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.*

The fact that OP said "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." suggests very clearly that it wasn't general stuff that she could have worked out. Why should OP state exactly what her friend has said, it is obvious that OP is baffled why her friend has details of her personal condition. I don't think OP needs to specify anymore than that and I don't understand what you would gain from that knowledge. Isn't it enough that the OP is aware that this friends knows more than she should do.

but if you don't have any kind of medical background, what may look like specific information is not....as i said, to give an example, its how fake mediums work.. Actually I can give a better similar example that happened to a college mate of mine. She was sleeping with her boyfriend and on the pill. Her older sister was being nebby and asked her if she had managed to park ok at the XXX street clinic as it was always busy there Tuesdays. It was all a huge fish.....she knew that was my mate's local family planning clinic and that tuesdays was contraceptive pill clinic day and so she spoke to her as though she KNEW she had been there. Luckily my mate was not silly and didn't get caught out.

@TheMawisbraw

My sister works in the local hospital and knows someone who was fired for looking at their own records to check if an appointment was booked or test results. It’s pretty much instant dismal looking at your own let alone anyone else’s

I was coming on here to say a similar thing. I know someone who looked at confidential medical records with no good reason for doing so (i.e., they weren't involved in the person's treatment) and they were given a written warning. They were told they had been lucky not to be suspended or even fired. If your friend has been looking at your medical records then she's very silly indeed.

I'm finding this thread really odd! There are pages and pages of posters asking the OP what exactly did her friend know? Was it general stuff that most of us could work out (especially in the medical field) or was it very specific as in appointment dates etc. I cannot see one reply from the OP answering this question.

I mean, the whole thread is about a breach of privacy and confidentiality, its not really surprising that the OP doesn't want to share any information about it in public on an internet forum

@lunar1

Three staff were sacked from our trust for looking at the notes of a celebrity a couple of years ago. They don't mess around if someone has been snooping. It's easier to sack for this than clinical negligence.

I think I know who you mean.

A certain local superstar with broken arms....

Yes, she could look it up quite easily. But no, unless you're her patient, she absolutely shouldn't!!

That being said, there should be safeguards in place to discourage this...
I mean... I worked for the DVLA for a time, and we were only allowed to look up the vehicle details for those we were actually working on. Even looking up your own vehicle was a no-no. So much so, that every so often, head office in Swansea would phone you and ask WHY you were looking up a particular vehicle - and you better have a cast-iron reason!

Only if it’s the same borough, same trust.

I’d think it more likely she understands general stuff about your condition and made educated guesses. Or you have a mutual friend who’s shared info.

Are you QUITE sure what she's said is specifically pertinent to your unique patient history ie appointment dates, referrals, timescale of trial medication etc.

Or is it that she had in depth knowledge of an area that you didn't expect? A dietician might end up having surprisingly specialist knowledge across many branches of Medicine; you might be referred to one in relation to treatment for any number of conditions (cancer, IBS, allergies, skin problems, chronic pain, depression etc).

It's a serious professional offence, and a serious claim to make so you do need to be certain.

@Beowulfa

Are you QUITE sure what she's said is specifically pertinent to your unique patient history ie appointment dates, referrals, timescale of trial medication etc.

Or is it that she had in depth knowledge of an area that you didn't expect? A dietician might end up having surprisingly specialist knowledge across many branches of Medicine; you might be referred to one in relation to treatment for any number of conditions (cancer, IBS, allergies, skin problems, chronic pain, depression etc).

It's a serious professional offence, and a serious claim to make so you do need to be certain.

As has been said, if she didn't do it, she may not even know she has been checked up on. If she is told and is innocent, she will understand the seriousness of the situation and be absolutely fine (although maybe worried) about being checked up on and will be able to vindicate herself. If she did it, or has been gossiping where she shouldn't have been, she deserves what is coming.

I'm.obviously not saying she has, but it is possible that she has accessed your records and if she has accessed them, then there will be an electronic footprint with her name or user ID against it. I am sceptical as to how she would feign ignorance, she would have to type in your full name or CHI number (or whatever the equivalent is down in England) to access them. I'm a nurse and can look up any patient as long as they use the same system. I've had to access a patients records who was transferred up here from England (I'm in Scotland) and as her trust used the same system, I was able to access them. So even if she is in a different trust, she could still access records on the same system.

It is a terrible breach of your privacy and if you genuinely believe that she has deliberately sought out your confidential medical information, then I would contact your local hospital and find out from there how they investigate and deal with this sort of breach.