I’ve reported my friend for an NHS confidentiality breech

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I have a (now ex) friend who works for the NHS who works as a clerical officer who we’ll call Karen. I’m in the early stages of pregnancy and haven’t told anyone other than my dh. Had my first midwife appointment and since this, I’ve had some congratulations texts from people within my friendship group. When I queried how they knew I was pregnant, they said they heard it from Karen. When I asked Karen about this she said she saw it on my file, and shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. I’m really upset that she’s just looked me up on her hospitals system like this. She works where my appointments are and openly said that she’s done this and has done it to a few of us in the group so she knows what’s going on. It’s my first pregnancy and I’m so anxious and I’m so upset so many people know about it.

At the time I was so angry I instantly filed a complaint to the hospital. Information governance then contacted me to say they’d be conducting an internal audit. This was 3 weeks ago and I’ve not heard anything since. I’m still upset with Karen but I now feel so guilty I’ve done this. I don’t want her to loose her job. Karen knows I’ve done this because I’ve told her and she’s livid and none of our mutual friends are talking to me now.

Is there anyone here who works for the NHS who can explain what happens in these situations? I’m guessing everything is fine because I’ve not heart anything from information governance since but I’m so worried

Well done OP. Surely not looking up people's records is Healthcare 101 - I have no experience in the field and even I know that. She deserves to lose her job if she can't adhere to basics like that.

Thanks! He disappeared the entire pregnancy before unblocking me the day after ds1 was born (who was born early). Always made me wonder if it was a coincidence or if he’d been snooping on my medical records.

The thing is, OP, your friend has been on her way to losing her job from the first moment she looked at a friend's file. The NHS run regular audits which pick up when someone has been looking at something they had no business with, so they would have discovered what she has been up to sooner or later.

I am gobsmacked that this rule breaker not only does this regularly but is bragging to friends about it!! Definitely done the right thing, hopefully she gets fired

Ignore the spelling pedants, OP. As for your mutual "friends", maybe they wouldn't be so dismissive of what this other friend has done if it was their private medical information she was broadcasting to all and sundry. You have absolutely done the right thing in reporting her. She knows the rules regarding her job and she needs to face up to the consequences of breaking them, otherwise she might have kept reading your notes throughout your pregnancy.

As Karen hadn't been told by you that you're pregnant (congratulations), it means she must be routinely browsing her friends' medical records for her own curiosity. That's seriously out of order.

I understand you feeling guilty but you definitely shouldn't.

That is a terrible breach of confidentiality and she deserves to lose her job. How dare she look at other people’s medical records but then to top it off she tells people! Don’t you feel bad. You have done nothing wrong. It will probably take a few weeks for them to get back to you

Hmm I’m torn on this one tbh. What she done was wrong, very wrong. I work in the NHS and would never dream of doing this I really can’t imagine what she was thinking it was so unbelievably stupid of her. I would imagine she will lose her job. But at the same time if I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt maybe she thought as it was in her eyes “happy news” she maybe thought you wouldn’t be upset so no big deal. Of course that’s not the case and you have every right to be upset. But equally if this was a stupid lapse of judgement and she was otherwise a good friend I’m not sure I would have reported her, I would have had a very stern word with her about it and told her I would report it if i heard her breaking confidentiality again. She will most likely lose her job and will find it very difficult to get another clerical job in the future with this on her record.

I have something similar happen to me. I was 6 weeks pregnant and was forced to tell my management team when our very first Covid case arrived in the ICU. I was promptly sent home until decisions could be made and a colleague seen my name crossed out on the rota and put 2 and 2 together and then announced it to the full tea room on my return a week later. I was upset but didn’t take it any further.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you @BundleOfCookies

Your friend has breached NHS confidentiality policy and faces gross misconduct charges and potential dismissal. Look up NHS confidentiality policy for details.

Harm in the NHS is not just defined as physical. There is also psychological harm that can cause distress.

None of us know the circumstances to the OPs pregnancy. There could be a whole range of circumstances that the OP and her DH may not have wanted disclosed to others or even to continue with the pregnancy.

At the very least the friend has taken away OPs big moment to share the news to people in her own time.

OPs whole trust in her pregnancy/health care would have been broken by the friends disclosure. Had the op not spoken up - they might feel vulnerable to further disclosures about the pregnancy, the sex, any issues or complications during & post pregnancy. They may not share certain info with health professionals out of fear of further privacy breaches and therefore putting their health at risk.

Your friend was unprofessional (maybe not for the first time) and will need to face the consequences of that now. The other friends haven't yet understood the seriousness of her actions.

I hope you have a wider friendship circle to spend time with.

If you're not sure on timeframes for the complaint the PALs team can follow up and inform you of the process.

Genuine curiosity here... Wouldn't it seem like a slur to whatever name she chose? e.g. if she'd called her Linda, would that imply that Lindas are generally nosey and untrustworthy? We already know it's a woman so I can't see how it's misogynistic. Or are you objecting to the common (mis)use of the name Karen to denote a certain kind of person?

I wouldn't feel too guilty for this. My MIL did this with me during my pregnancy - as she worked in the hospital. Knew all my appointments and scans without being told.
Then when I was induced and we didn't want to tell anyone - she saw on my file and sent food to the room without telling us. I was furious.
You can't feel guilty about your actions which were reasonable when hers were out of order

I am so angry for you .
She should be sacked. .
She read your private files !
She told your medical business to others
She then told your pregnancy news and tooke that from you .

Can you actually speak to a solicitor .

You have done nothing wrong. Of course she should have been reported. Imvho, I also think she deserves to be sacked for that. She is not in a job appropriate for her personality if she thinks it’s OK to access confidential medical information of people well known to her and share it with her friends.

If you do not want her to lose her job, the recommended course of action would be to contact the hospital and let them know this, that while you were and are still upset no real harm has been caused.

It was a PP who objected not me, you obviously know the misogynistic connotations of Karen so I dont understand your question.

I sadly don’t. The conversation happened in person so I can’t prove she’s shared my information with others but I did mention this in my reporting of her. Information governance just said they will do an audit of her and if she has looked at my records or anyone else that she shouldn’t, it will show up on there end

You did the right thing. Even if you hadn't reported her then the friendship was over as you can no longer trust her. My daughter is a nurse and what she did is a big no no, she should not be looking at patients medical history unless she needs to for her work. Yes, she will have access to anyone's files but everything is monitored. I am surprised given that she has done this before, that it has not flagged up that she is accessing patients records without a reason to do so. She will be (quite rightly) fully investigated and most probably dismissed from her role.

She will only have herself to blame when she gets the sack.

A very old friend of mine who was a GP’s receptionist once shocked us by telling us (and laughing) about a neighbour’s case of (IIRC) piles.

By that time we lived a 3 hour drive away so didn’t even know the person in question, but I was still appalled that she did it at all. It was ages ago and AFAIK she never lost her job, but I dare say it certainly wasn’t a one-off.

I agree. It's one thing to see someone's records in passing as part of your job. This is sometimes unavoidable - a bit like when once or twice I've recognised someone on here that I know in real life, but I have never ever breathed a word to them or anyone else we know.

It's quite another to then share that medical information with friends, especially mutual friends that know you!! Completely outrageous. She's not in the right job if she thought that was ok.

Honestly OP, I think you did the right thing. What a stupid, horrible cow she is! Also your friends who sided with her, fuck them all! So sorry she brought this stress to you :(

I hope that's not how the system works, gross misconduct is gross misconduct, she shouldn't get away with it because one person doesn't really mind. That's not remotely appropriate

When I worked at the NHS I had to go to a higher up to check something in my health records. She then had to relay the bit of info I needed (date of a long past medical diagnosis). It did seem odd that there wasn’t a method whereby I could look at my own electronic file.

So it's one thing to have a sneaky look at your records (although that's not really acceptable) but quite another, to then discuss with all and sundry! Your so called friends group, are imo, being totally unreasonable about it. I wonder how one of them would feel if their medical condition had been discussed. I'm sorry your having to deal with this in your early stages of pregnancy. I'm sorry to say, but if she looses her job, then that's on her and not you.

Another NHS worker here. There’s no way your friend could be naive as to the fact that this is wrong and gross misconduct - whatever NHS trust they work for. Every time I access information our IT system flags that it must be for legitimate work reasons. Even accessing your own records are not allowed. Induction training and annual training reinforces. I work in a department where I know a friend’s records may need to be accessed periodically. I’ve never been in them as I ask a colleague. Your friend and mutual friends may be angry with you but you’ve done 100% the right thing and I hope she loses her job, just as I’d expect to if it was me.

Absolutely outrageous that she has done this, she definitely deserves to be sacked. I do understand why you now feel guilty but she has brought this on herself entirely.