Should I complain after a nurse shared my 16-year-old's medical details?

[Midglet]

My 16yr old had an incident this week that required medical intervention. They didn’t want people, even immediate family and close relatives, to know until they had underwent the operation and we respected those wishes. However a theatre nurse recognised their name and before my child was even under anaesthetic, the nurse had texted a distant relative of ours and divulged that not only was our child in for an operation , but the nature of such. The child was in theatre for four hours but within twenty mins of them being taken in the distant relative , who doesn’t have our mobile numbers, then started calling the hospital demanding details of our child’s prognosis and treatment. Thankfully we had been tipped off very quickly as the relative started contacting other family members ( who themselves weren’t aware of the situation until they themselves contacted us to see what was happening) and were able to request staff to refrain from divulging such. After several failed attempts the relative then turned up at the hospital and demanded access to our child, by which point they were out of surgery. The ward staff asked our 16 yr old ( with us present) if they would like the relative to gain access and our child immediately burst into tears with the thought …the relative is particularly difficult at the best of times and the children try to avoid all contact by their own choice . Thankfully again the staff were able to refuse the relative entry into the ward (Although our child is 16 and should have been in the adult wards a lack of beds had resulted in them being housed in the children’s ward with better security) . Anyway I am sitting stewing about the actions of this initial theatre nurse divulging private medical information to a third party . I know this is a huge breach of confidence and I hope such would be a disciplinary if I was to raise a complaint but I don’t know if I should . The nurse is a friend of the relative hence why she reached out and my family are divided as whether to take action as it will cause trouble within the wider family. Hubby thinks I should just forget it to keep the peace but I think the theatre nurse should be made aware her actions were totally unacceptable. I’ve never complained about anything before . Your thoughts would be appreciated !

Do theatre nurses have access to detailed patient lists before they start their duty?

And once on duty do they have access to their phones?

Agree!

I think the theatre nurse should be made aware her actions were totally unacceptable. I’ve never complained about anything before . Your thoughts would be appreciated

You need to complain but she will be more than aware her actions are wrong, everyone that works with access to patients confidential notes knows this and knows the consequences of breaching confidentiality. She just decided to do it anyway, utter stupidity.

Yes I’d be fucking livid. She must have known it was gross misconduct. I’m confused as to why a ‘distant’ relative who doesn’t have your contact details would insist on showing up at the hospital though? Thats crazy.
Your poor dc having to deal with that on top of surgery, I hope they are recovering well.

Yes complain to the hospital the nurse has breached GDPR and upset your child. Just because she knew a relative foesn't mean she can breach confidentiality like that

It happens surprisingly more often than you would think! Staff are currently under investigation for alleged unauthorised access to the poor wee girl from Yorkshires medical notes who was found dead in Scotland and Dad has been charged with murder.

Registered nurse here too and agree wholeheartedly.
OP, please also be aware that this could impact your child's long term relationship with healthcare for a lifetime and needs to he taken seriously. They have had their confidentiality breached, the distant relative has turned up, created a fuss and humiliated them. This is not okay and could impact their recovery too. Your absolutely within your rights to complain. Also.....most of the patients in theatres are unconscious, so the integrity of the staff there is very important to ensure that patients are treated with dignity and respect when they are at their most vulnerable. There have been some horrible scandals in surgery and staff need to be held to very high standards as a result.

my family are divided as whether to take action as it will cause trouble within the wider family.

It isn't your family's decision. It's none of their business.

If they do have any business in this it is to support you and the interests of your child.

Not the interests of a nurse you don't know and a distant relative who is a pain in the arse.

Your business is to act in the interests of your child. They had a horrible experience due to this.

Nothing wrong with being on MN on a Saturday. Makes my eyes just to read ‘should have , would have , could have’ all the time on here (any day, not just Saturdays). See also , your when it should be you’re 😊

If I did this in my job (not NHS, but another government organisation) I’d be sacked instantly. You absolutely should complain I’d be raising it with anyone who would listen. This is a massive breach of protocol and according to Google (so may need looking into further) is a crime.

This is a huge confidentiality breach, gross misconduct and probably a sackable offence. I absolutely believe you must raise this. I’m hoping your child is recovering well and this wasn’t a life altering surgery. Presumably, the relative would have been informed no matter how private.
if not for your family, please raise this for the other families who’s confidentiality has been broken by this staff member.

I am not, by nature, a complainer and would usually think about the impact on a person’s job etc but in this case I would absolutely complain. It’s not at all acceptable and she should already be aware of that. Anything that happens as a result of your complaint is on her, not you.

Yes a breach of hospital policy and likely to be viewed as gross misconduct too. Please complain directly to the hospital, in email or letter, not in person or over the phone. I would also report to NMC directly myself too, their registration number can be found in the online search function on the NMC website

Oh, the whole "they" thing makes me feel cross

Absolutely awful behaviour. You definitely should report. Your put child has been through a lot here. The nurse absolutely knows what they did is completely unacceptable. There is no justification whatsoever. Please report.

Dr here, you should 100% complain about this. It is wholly unacceptable, completely unprofessional behaviour. This should and will be taken very seriously by hospital management.

Makes your eyes what "just to read ‘should have , would have , could have’ all the time on here"? 😕

I am a nurse and absolutely disgusted by her conduct. Absolutely report- that is a gross insult to our standards

Why?

Absolutely complain. The nurse should be fired for the professional breach of confidentiality.

Yes ex NHS ..this is unacceptable and could be the tip of the iceberg if they believe this to be acceptable. Dreadful OP complain

This is clear cut. Report.

when in doubt about these things, just focus on stating facts, not your feelings about what happened. You aren’t necessarily looking for a particular outcome. The damage can’t be undone. You just need the nurses employer to know about the incident and to deal with it as they see appropriate.

This is gross misconduct imho. She should probably lose her job. You must report her.

Likewise

Agreed. If she’d overlook such an obvious breach of her professional expectations, what else does she make up her own rules about?