Do I have a right to be Angry

[Hm1987]

Bit of a long story but I have been suffering with anxiety for the last 18 months and it started in my pregnancy I felt really under pressure from work with antenatal appointments and time keeping it was a complicated pregnancy to make matters worse the department and hospital that I work for is the same one that conducted all my appointments I was relieved when I went on maternity leave anyway fast forward to the week I was due to go back I found out work colleagues had accessed my medical notes the day of my delivery and a few times around appointments people who were not involved in my care there were things on my medical records that were private I feel so let down I reported it to my boss and I was told they would all receive warnings in writing I don’t know if that happened I feel as if I have been spiralling since then my partner got diagnosed with cancer 8 months ago and is currently receiving treatment but I can’t get rid of this gut wrenching anxiety I am worried about everything it’s actually effecting my health now. I spoke to someone at work about the initial pressure I felt that kicked this off and she said it was 2 years ago I need to get over it !! Am I being over the top to have let me effect me like this ? .

@Hm1987 are you in a union? If so approach a representative not in your department. And escalate the experience. You could also negotiate a departmental change if you wanted to.

I am it can’t hurt to have a conversation and get some advice from them I will go see them tomorrow there office is in the building

Thank you so much for your advice 😊 I definitely want to do something about it I just need to think when is best to do it.

A warning from the manager isn't good enough, take it higher. I have access to personal records, not in a million years would I access the records of someone I know. It's highly unethical and a sacking offence. If these are registered health professionals it needs reporting to HCPC.

They are all registered healthcare professionals and it didn’t sit right with me when they suggested a warning letter as I know for a fact it still happens

It didn't sit right because it is not right, it is a massive breach of professional standards. I would feel very angry if someone accessed my records too, the fact they are registered health professionals makes it even worse, you expect good values and ethics from health professionals.

@op don't go to a rep with a conflict of interest as in a colleague. Go to branch secretary if needs be.
It's actually preposterous what's happened to you

@Hm1987 that was

YABU to not use full stops.

Absolutely I work for my local hospital so if I saw someone that I know from outside work as a patient I wouldn’t dream of diving through their notes unless I was the one treating them and there was a reason . They think they can get away with it because I was a patient In that department at the time and some not all the managers protect them.

Does the nhs not have a tracing system to see who has been accessing records? If so then they have been stupid to have a nosy around if they have no involvement in your care. This is a huge gdpr breech and needs reporting. Use your anger.

The staff that looked at your records should be sacked. I work for the NHS and that is the policy.
An audit can be done on who has retrieved your records and if they had no cause to then it's a case of instant dismissal. I wouldn't let that slide.
You should have the option to restrict specific staff from accessing your records within the system you use.

Am so sorry this has happened...

In the 3 trusts I have worked in this would have been a final warning /sacking territory...

And they've had warnings for this previously?? Totally shocking...

What they have done is illegal...

Please take this further... Please also write out How this has impacted you...
What shitty shitty people...

Can you move departments??

Can IT at least lock yours and your husbands records to them, so these appalling people can't access them?? I'd be so angry at this I'd be escalating this right to the top unless something was done about this...

I'd involve your union /speak to your MP... This is massive re data breach...

As in..
I have evidence that colleagues accesses mine /my partners notes multiple times... They had no reason to do either...

Repeat continuously...

You're in the right...

PS I'd also add clearly to this.. ... Really personal information like My difficult pregnancy notes as well as my husband's cancer treatment notes.....

Really he explicit...

Any decent manager would be appalled.

You have every right to feel the way you feel. That is just awful!
I can't believe they weren't disciplined harshly or even fired! A warning!? That's ludicrous!!!!!!!

Your hospital will have a Caldicott Guardian whose job is to protect confidentiality in exactly cases like these. Do you know who yours is and if they’re aware of the case? If not, find out and put your concerns in writing to them. They will take an extremely dim view- as pps have mentioned, the culprits should be dismissed.

I see @Ownedbyabeagle has said similar re restricting your notes to these people.

I've come across this when clients mothers /friends /neighbours have worked in services they're using... So it's impossible for them to even see that you're visiting clinic XYZ, let alone uncover any details.

This needs to be escalated, it is a definite breach of Information Governance, contact HR if your manager doesn't do so.
Edited to add, as above poster says: Caldicott Guardian would be best option. You won't be sacked, they are definitely doing something that is gross misconduct

This is a disgrace, I don’t work in the NHS, but do you have a union etc, that could assist you?

I don't know about the NHS, but when I worked for HMRC, all staff tax records could only be accessed at one office & then only by trusted staff with enhanced access. Can you as a patient ask for your records to be put under enhanced access? I would definitely take this as high as you can, like others have said it should be instant dismissal for doing this.

This is a privacy breach, and there should be a system for reporting it formally.

They will want to know, how you know they have accessed your notes, because you can’t access your own without requesting them.

But yes if your colleagues viewed your medical notes for their own reasons then you have the right to be angry

It's bad enough that it happened but the fact it has happened before shows the warnings were not taking seriously.

This is a serious data protection issue and it needs to go higher than your manager.

I would be looking for another job op. I think you anxiety around working with people like this is understandable. You have enough on your plate.

Yes they do we use smart cards so you can see which members of staff has accessed records I am sure they do audit at random but the only reason I found out was because the staff member that told me who was seeing me for post-natal appointments.

You feel anxious because you feel out of control of the situation.

You need a plan and the first thing is start looking for another position. There must be opportunities within this hospital.

Move departments and get a fresh start.

I would make a complaint after I secured another position: