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 !

My husband remains dead against me raising this with the appropriate authorities and it’s already caused friction in our house .

So I'm guessing he wouldn't care if something he wanted to keep private was blabbed to his family by someone who shouldn't be blabbing?

This is absolutely awful! You should definitely complain, she can’t do that! That’s a huge breach of confidentiality, not even a breach - just like an open access invite! You’re well within your rights to be upset and furious.
I don’t even know the full situation and I feel awful for your child 😢

if you don't want anyone losing their jobs you could write a stiff letter with screenshot to both aunt snd nurse explaining distress caused.

and expect sn apology and it never happens again

@Midglet
OP. You don't know what her employer would do and you don't know what this nurse has done before. What if she had disclosed information about a child gone into hiding because of DV? Someonewho had fled their partner because they were beaten? I implore you not to base your decision on what MIGHT happen to the nurse because you have no idea about what kind of person the nurse is and what they have done before....even what they might do in the future if they get away with it this time. I an a clinican who has been involved in the NHS disciplinary process and believe me no one wants to sack people, but I have been the one who has dealt with people who have breached confidentiality more than once and honestly, you don't want them caring for your loved ones.
At very least its not relevant that she is a friend of the family, at worst it could have made things much worse...as I said what if the relative she knew was a risk to your child?
I think your family and particularly your husband are being spectacularly stupid in putting family feeling before a potential patient safety issue and definitely before the privacy of your child. If your husband had an intimate illness or physical problem, and wanted to keep it private, would he like his mum to be told by a family ffriend?

Op wouldn’t be causing the nurse to loose her job. The nurse caused that to happen as soon as she blabbed.

op - for the sake of your child, please report it. Your child trust and confidentiality request is what’s important here. That nurse broke that. your child should be first in your priority, not some random nurse.

Why does it worry you if she loses her job? A nurse who behaves like this would absolutely deserve to be sacked. Do you want to leave her free to do this to other people?

THIS!!