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 !

This is your child's choice when they're feeling well enough to consider the issue. Don't compound the problem by taking away their ability to choose how to respond to it. Generally complaints can be submitted up to a year after the event so there's no rush.

This is outrageous. Nurse needs reminding that this is not ok or it will happen again. Work is not a source of gossip.

My disabled baby’s diagnosis was divulged to my neighbor through a health care worker who coincidentally routinely visited both houses.

I was young so I let it go ( be kind blah blah) but years later I still
have the rage that I didn’t pursue at the time.

Absolutely 100% report her. She should be sacked for Gross Misconduct.

I think you really do need to make a formal complaint. Your son was at his most vulnerable and was being bombarded for personal information he didn't want to give. No one should have to put up with that sort of pressure. The theatre nurse knows she shouldn't give out personal information and needs to be held to account. Your complaint will ensure she never does so again and will serve as a timely reminder to other members of staff that there are serious consequences to breaching the rules. Future patients who do not want their personal information disclosed will thank you. Not making a complaint may be the easy step to take but if patients or their families to do not make complaints then nothing changes.

As for the family member, she clearly didn't know she was going to receive this information but how stupid does she need to be to bombard the hospital demanding details of your child’s prognosis and treatment and then actually turn up at the hospital demanding information? I assume she was truely enraged when the hospital refused to let her onto the ward?

I hope the operation went well and he's now recovering well.

Quick reply as a registered nurse. You absolutely must report this ASAP. Complete breach of confidentiality and should have consequences for that member of staff.

Sadly you will also have to deal with your relative’s behaviour.

I hope your relative who was the patient is doing ok

I would complain. The nurse needs to be put off ever doing this again.

Hi OP. This is a gross breach of trust and legal breaches the Caldicott principles. You can contact the NMC- nursing and midwifery council- directly to make a complaint to have this investigated. As a parent I would absolutely want this raised it is completely unacceptable and actually illegal from a regulatory standpoint.

Not sure I believe the nurse would do this. She could be sacked.

It's a breach of the Data Protection Act (GDPR). You need to report to the hospital (I'd go straight to the Chief Executive) and the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office). You don't know what other information they are passing on about other patients, so better to get it stopped.

Serious breach of confidence, report

Absolutely complain, she has broken every confidentiality rule in the book, it's shocking

I had this happen to me but in a different situation. I had a very close female friend who died very suddenly, and her nearest relative was her brother, whom I knew to be away on holiday, but I had his mobile number. I then discovered that a neighbour had found out somehow about her death (possibly by seeing the ambulance) and had told everyone he could think of, using social media and a local residents' group on WhatsApp. I was enraged because her brother, to whom she was close, should have been the first to know. These interfering people have nothing in their lives and they relish the chance to be the centre of attention, and the first ones to know anything. They can't see that whatever has happened is nothing to do with them.

Sackable offence. Go for it. She knew what she was doing. Caused all the family a whole load of distress. Don’t let that go.

Is this UK?? I struggle to understand how a UK nurse would do this especially with the consequence of the relative turning up.

You should raise a complaint. This is totally inappropriate and will be seen as gross misconduct - details should never be divulged in this way.

Please complain.

This nurse should be have a gross misconduct charge...

She should also be struck off...

This is exactly how children are found by relatives who shouldn't have anything to do with them legally.

Shocking behaviour....

What the fuck was this nurse thinking??

I would definitely complain, totally out of order . It’s hard enough being 16 without all and sundry knowing your private business

I used to be a theatre nurse, and I am utterly horrified by what this nurse did, @Midglet - I definitely think you should complain.

Please report it. I’d feel really worried to think medical staff would go about disclosing medical information. I don’t think it really matters the reason or the motivation. They had absolutely no business doing that. It private medical information and they 100% should expect a disciplinary. Hopefully they will have the good grace to aknowledge it, apologise and never do it ever again.

I would definatly complain, that was a serious breach of GDPR data protection and is just too important to ignore.

I understand this involves your family and your teens' right to have their surgery kept private was blatantly disgarded, the actions of the member of staff who needs a serious taking to by managers.

It is bad enough, that during a time of extreme vulnerability your teen had to endure the knowledge that the difficult person had turned up at the hospital, right when they did not need it.

For these obnoxious people to put your teen through extreme distress is absalutely HORRENDOUS.

I would go ballistic, if I had to deal with this situation and yes, the fool in theatres has no buisness working there if they can't protect patients DPA.

You need to complain, its not right, they need to be disciplined and yes, speak with your family members, assert yourself, it should never have happened.

Yes it's a stackable offence and I would report it. It is a significant breach of GDPR and it's very personal information. Wtf.

Hope your DC is OK.

100% report it.

Oh hell no! That’s awful 😞

I worked in a doctors surgery and we weren’t even allowed to tell (for example) Mr Smith who lives next door that his wife Mrs Smith was in the surgery that day. In the event that Mrs Smith did not want Mr Smith to know (domestic abuse, women’s health etc) she had been there.

You absolutely have the right to kick up a massive fuss about this. Absolutely not ok!

This is a massive data breach - you should contact a no win no fee solicitor too.
A payout could set him up for Uni costs in the future.

I’d definitely complain . How dare she take it upon herself to share your daughter’s confidential information . I hope you take the matter up with the relative too - they were both massively out of order !