If you work in the nhs would you get in trouble for this?

[Bewilderedbotheredbemused]

Looking at a patient who isn’t your patient’s notes.

so say a nurse on ward a looked a patient x’s (someone the nurse knew) notes who was on ward b. If the nurse was found out, would they get into trouble?

would they be able to tell if a nurse / doc had done something like this after the fact?

(for clarity I have not done something like this, someone I know is making some allegations about another person I also know)

No idea? I presume the truth? I can’t access my boyfriends relatives records and they are worried?

Don't you think it's mire likely they asked for someone else's id because they knew its against the rules. She should have just told the patients ward manager that the family had concerns and let them deal with it themselves, she should not have got involved and i would be amazed if she didn't know that.

I honestly have no idea, but I do feel for the hcw even though it was the wrong thing to do

You never look at patients records who you are not directly responsible for and you never ever share or borrow ID cards.

It was incredibly stupid and wrong and she will have known that at the time, that’s why she asked to borrow a card as she know she shouldn’t be doing it and wanted to cover her back. Instead she’s also now implicated a colleague who could get into trouble for a) lending an ID card or b) leaving her card unattended so anyone could use it. Either way people are in trouble here. There are no excuses for it. None.

When it’s a matter of professional integrity and yours (and others) careers on the line - you just say sorry no. Pass on the concerns in the correct manner.

So no plausible deniability here then we think?

I don’t see how she can deny it. So the ex tells the hospital and gives them the name of the patient. The hospital will look at that patients notes and see a name of someone who wasn’t involved in that patients care…..though admittedly not your friend/relative. But the unauthorised name will be someone they can link to the person accused of snooping. Ie they work together. They will even be able to find out from shift records (which are kept for years) that they were at work together on the same ward when the record was viewed. I guess your friend/relative could lie and say nothing to do with them and throw their colleague under the bus! But that would be very shitty and to be honest any investigation would deem it likely she was lying. Because why would the random colleague look at the record of someone she doesn’t know?

I think the colleague was someone working on the same ward as patient and potentially looking after them.

oh I don’t know, feel bad for her is all

Oh if that’s true and the person who actually did the looking up had reason to do so then yes they’d both be best of denying it.

May have to up my 2 potential breaches to 3 at this point.

No plausible deniability, no excuse. This is drilled into you on day 1 of working in a hospital.

It isn't allowed but based on what you've said it'd be hard to prove if the staff denied it

Why do you feel, sorry for her, does she feel sorry for the other nurse whose id was used. Would you be so understanding if your confidential records were accessed.

She will look an untrustworthy lying scheming fool if the other nurse admits this or she was seen entering a ward or speaking to the other nurse and witnesses come forward. That would be worse for her than accessing the notes surreptitiously.

NHS admin worker here. You do not look in any patients' notes you are not working on or have a good reason.

I feel sorry for her because I can see her motives as trying to help her then abusive boyfriend who she then left and then he’s using it against her as punishment for leaving. I know the deceased patient didn’t mind and neither did the boyfriend until she left him. No doubt she was stupid for doing it

I know the deceased patient didn’t mind and neither did the boyfriend until she left him

that’s not the point though - the business did, and stop does, mind. She didn’t get permission to access those records. It undermines the profession. Also you said the ex is abusive - did she make work aware? Did she go to the police? That’s honestly the only mitigation

Absolutely! Sackable offence! Goes against confidentiality! Against the NMC Code of Conduct!
I myself have medical notes that I'm deeply ashamed and embarrassed by..... all linked to mental health. I strongly suspect someone I know has had a look and knows the truth and that breaks my heart, I'm not that person and never was..... I was ill! But there it will stand to haunt me forever in my medical records and as I have many nurse friends/acquaintances it will be there for them to snoop on if they do wish.

I honestly have no idea, maybe, maybe not, probably pretty unlikely that she did but I guess it’s possible

It is still not allowed though.

It is drummed into us that you cannot look at anyone’s record including your own so consent doesn’t come into it.

That’s a clear breach of patient confidentiality - serious professional misconduct.

How long would it take for this to be flagged up?

@Loola83
this is an old thread so unless your situation is very similar you might find it helpful to start a new thread.

in answer to your question there is no clear answer, it may never be flagged up if no one reports it as it would be impossible to monitor every single access to notes. Or it might be instantly flagged up for example if someone reports or suspects a breach or if an audit is done and something looks odd.
it could be flagged up at any point in between.

Verboten!!

The system just allows them to do it? But then the access log is just tracked?