To report ex friend who looked at my medical files?

[LadyInRainbow]

Over a year ago a friend told me she’d looked at my medical files, because “she wanted to see what was happening” with an issue I was dealing with, I think she thought she was being helpful and it was a shared care issue that also impacted her. I was stunned at the time and asked her not to do it again. I knew she may have need to look at a certain area of my files due to her job in screening and tracking but she had no need to look at this and I told her I was unhappy at the time.

Anyway long story short this friend has now back stabbed me and made up various stories about me.

Would I be unreasonable to make sure she is blocked from viewing my files again, there’s no need for her to access them as the issue to do with her department is long past & while I brushed it off before when I thought she was was a friend her having access now makes me very uncomfortable.

I take it she is a qualified medical profressional who has treated you in some capacity otherwise she would not be able to access your medical records without your permission?

I don't know what "a job in screening and tracking" is, but anyone who works with personal data is legally only allowed to access the minimum of personal data they need to do their job. If this supposed friend accessed your medical records, that she had access to through her work, without a professional need to, then she is in breach of GDPR and quite probably the professional standards of whatever area of work she's in. Make a formal complaint to her employer, and look up how to complain to the Information Commissioner if they don't take appropriate action.

You should definantly request that she has no access to your notes, and maybe even cite the past incident. That’s misconduct and a breach of confidentiality. To access someone’s notes, you need a reason.

Why on earth didn't you report her a year ago?

Not true. Receptionists, prescription clerks, data entry people etc can all access notes.

You want her to get sacked because you’ve fallen out.

That’s basically what it is OP. You just catch out for that karma …

Absolutely!

for me this is a big massive deal.

we should no matter the circumstances be able to trust that our private information (in this case medical) is safe!

she deserves to face the consequences of her actions because this is just a single example but it shows her view that she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with doing it so the likelihood is if she decides there is another personal reason she will do it again with anyone else or actually you too (but this time she won’t tell you)

my personal opinion is you should have done it then not wait until you have fallen out but it’s too late now

They can but on “needs to know” basis. Sounds as though the person in question may have had a bit more of a snoop than necessary, however, this is tracked and recorded and, if the trust had no issues with the level of access it will be pretty hard to state otherwise. The most that would happen after the report, is the clinical lead will conduct the investigation and confirm it was within her professional scope to access the records.

If she had no right to your file originally then it should have been reported then not 'she is a big meanie now so I am so going to get her into trouble'

You didn’t seem bothered enough to report her a year ago but now you’d like to report her because you’ve fallen out? Very sly and petty tbh

YWBU not to report this.

If she's doing this to you she is doing this to others.

Please report to the surgery/department directly and to PALS (to avoid this being covered up).

To clarify, are the stories she is circulating about you connected to your medical notes?

She should be sacked. She looked through someone's records.

Op, please report her.

Actually this is a serious issue. All access is logged so if investigated they will be able to see if she accessed part of your records that she didn’t need to.

The fact that she told you is a red flag. You need to report her, friend or not, this is a confidentiality issue which is more of an issue than GDPR. In my HCP breech of confidentiality can lead to being struck off.

You need to raise a complaint asap. Even if she does have legal access to your information she should not be telling you. If you have proof then provide it as part of your complaint.

Regardless of your friendship or lack of it, breech of confidentiality is very serious.

My SIL did this to me and told me! I took your approach and asked her to never access my records or those of my children again unless there was a clear professional need. She was mortified and falling over herself to apologise but it still makes me feel cross when I think about it. My understanding is that she could have got into a lot of trouble if I had reported it. She has since retired.

I think your next move and the way you word any communication depends on what you are trying to achieve. To stop her accessing your records unnecessarily again? Or for revenge because you have now fallen out? If it’s the former, I would send an email to her employer outlining that you are aware of a previous breach and whilst you are willing to let it pass, you would like assurances that it will not happen again. If it’s revenge you are after, I would think twice.

Of course report it! If she did it to you she will do it to others.

This

You can report it, she's in the wrong. But she will almost certainly lose her job. If you're happy with that, go ahead.

@KrisAkabusi She brought it on herself. I wouldn't have much sympathy for that

By ‘backstabbing and lying’ about you, do you mean regarding your medical notes? As in saying you are lying about your health in some way?

That's life....

She's surely been told the rules, she's not a reasonable person to work in this capacity

Best she finds a job better suited to her abilities.

In this case I agree. But it's still a significant repercussion. She used to be the OPs friend. I would think hard about having a former friend become unemployed.

But to be fair, a ‘friend’ wouldn’t go and read your medical notes. There could be extremely personal and revealing information on her notes.

100% this! It's a case of we aren't friends now and I'm going to get her sacked.

If I was you I would just block her and never talk to her again. You should have reported her when she did it not now.

These threads always attract people guilt-tripping the victim of this unprofessional, boundary-breaking, potentially illegal behaviour.

Oh, they might lose their job! It's on you!

No lol. It's on the clinician or admin worker who did it.

When you work for the NHS or private health services it's DRILLED into you that you follow GDPR. You only access records on a need to know basis. If a patient that you know personally's file comes across your desk, you avert your eyes for someone else to deal with if at all possible. These people know that they shouldn't be doing it. I have no sympathy when they're caught.