Hospital privacy and confidentiality ??

[catnip99]

I think this is more of a rant really but I'll explain

About 6 months ago I had to go and have an ultrasound on my uterus/ovaries to see if I had PCOS or endo.
The hospital did the usual and phoned a couple days before to confirm my appointment etc only they didn't phone me, they phoned my sister. she told the hospital that it wasn't my phone number and gave them my actual number, they told her they would give me a ring instead and they never did, just continued to phone my sister. Every time I tried to phone it either rang out or was engaged.
Scan was fine, forgot to mention it at the hospital because I was in a rush to leave

Fast forward to now, I have my 12 week scan on Monday, I'm secretly pregnant, have decided to not tell any family yet
My sister messages me saying that the hospital have left her a voicemail regarding my scan on Monday.
None of my family know I am pregnant so I had to blag it and say it was a 6 month follow up scan on my uterus just to throw them off the scent

Am I in the wrong for being so angry about the breach of patient confidentiality here? The person phoning could have just outed my pregnancy to my whole family without me even knowing? She put so much confidential information into the voicemail that she left on my sisters phone, without knowing who she was even phoning?

I feel like it's kind of spoilt things for when I actually do tell my family I am having my first baby.
I phoned the hospital to ask them about changing my number and as to how they got my sisters number in the first place and the woman on the other end didn't seem bothered about it and told me I'll have to change my number at my appointment on Monday, it's just baffled me so much.

Why have they got your sisters number?

This is a data protection and confidentiality issue.

When you go for your appointment on Monday ask for a copy of the hospital complaints procedure and follow it and make a complaint, in writing.

In the meantime, email the relevant department with your nhs no and contact details, and tell them to make sure they remove any other contact details on file for you.

In my experience, doing anything verbally with regards to NHS admin, is an utter waste of time. As soon as they've put the phone down - forget it!

Make a complaint in writing. Had similar problems with my hospital during pregnancy very recently. 3 times they either posted or accidentally stapled letters for other people confirming scans/appointments to my letters. Really bad. After the third time I raised it with them. Mistakes happen but 3 times is a confidentiality problem. Letters gave names, addresses and nhs numbers. Made me wonder who might have had my letters by mistake.

Next appointment, when you're booking the next one tell the admin staff to update your number there and then.

They will update and you can head off knowing it's been done.

I'd go through PALS. A one off mistake I get but it shouldn't keep happening.

Whenever I go into hospital they ask if my contact details are correct. Verbally telling one is not good enough - you need to do it in person and make sure they change your details. Complain in person and in writing too, but make sure that you had done enough to make sure they had your correct details (wht did they have your sisters number in the first place)?

This is a GDPR breach and not a tiny one. What they’ve done is illegal and I would escalate to PALS, call and write. There should be no possibility for a mishap, especially not twice when they’ve been told they have the wrong number.

Do you and your sister share an initial and a surname? Live at the same address? Someone must have given that number, too random otherwise?

I have no idea why they have my sisters number instead of mine, we've never been associated together at the hospital, I've never been admitted or had anything serious that resulted in a hospital stay and neither has she so I don't know why they have hers. She even gave them my number and they ignored
My gp and community midwife both have the correct phone number so I really am clueless in this situation

Makes me wonder who's number they have in regards of my sister

@TitianaTitsling my sister and I share a last name, but that's about it, we don't live at the same address nor are our first initials the same, I have 3 sisters all of us sharing the same last name and all registered at the same gp and hospital but there's never been an issue until now

I get the impression you’ve known about the wrong phone number for a while, why didn’t you sort it FULLY at the time? which means not only telling them but double checking they actually processed the info. And then maybe even a random triple check.

Just so you are aware it may not be the same everywhere but due to data protection your sister wouldn't be allowed to update your telephone number on your behalf (where I live and work) as that's updating your personal file and she isn't you. It would of been up to your sister to tell you about the error and you to ring and update them yourself.
They usually can remove numbers, if it's not your number but can not document a number down if it's not given by the patient themselves. (Again May not be their practice but it's certainly that way were I live)

I totally get the data breech here would have been horrible for you and by all means I think you should alert the hospital to their mistake. But I think they aren't the only ones here in the wrong. Ultimately you are also responsible for updating and correcting personal details and if you knew there was an issue you should of also rectified this.

Why have they your sisters number? You must of told them that is your contact number in the past, as how would they know it?!

Plus when you go to your scan, mention it to the receptionist, make sure they change it on your files.
I dnt think they would change it over the phone as you could be anyone.

Yes I'm aware I SHOULD have got it sorted after the first time, however as I said it completely slipped my mind as I was in a rush.

I am also human and work full time in a busy environment so never had a lot of time, constantly thinking about the stresses of work, pretty sure I'd forgot about the whole thing by the next morning.

And as I am someone who is quite fit and in good health I am not a regular at the hospital so I forgot about it and was never brought up to me again as I don't have appointments at the hospital regularly .

I've never told the hospital that my sisters number is mine because I'd have to know her phone number to do so.

I have emailed the hospital complaints and also emailed pals now so thankyou to those of you who were helpful and gave advice

You didn't take the time to sort the issue when your were there 🤷‍♀️

Also every hospital appointment I've ever been to asks you to confirm the last 4 digits of your phone number at booking in.

It usually asks me to confirm or amend my details on the booking machines but if not please speak to someone when you're at the hospital. If they dont change it then make a formal complaint and you'll find it will then get sorted very quickly.

Are you twins? I've heard something similar happen with twins because they mostly looked at birth date + last name. Not that that makes it okay though.

@ivfgottostaypositive

You didn't take the time to sort the issue when your were there 🤷‍♀️

Also every hospital appointment I've ever been to asks you to confirm the last 4 digits of your phone number at booking in.

Personally I have two diff medical places put me down as Miss X instead of Mrs. I told them and asked them to change it 4 times and I am still apparently a Miss.

I wouldn't make a complaint about it, just get it sorted

Going through PALS should create a paper trail.

It could be that you are phoning, they are writing down your details and updated number on paper with every intention of updating on the system but then get bombarded with additional phonecalls and it goes by the wayside. If it was me I'd let the phone go to answer while I got the details updated but in some offices staff are under a lot of pressure to pick up the phone by the third ring.

They have to have got the number from somewhere/someone OP. They didn't just dream up a number and by some miraculous coincidence happen to come up with your own sisters.

Do they also send letters to your sister? (as in they have you both totally mixed up) Or is it just the tel no? (In which case you must have provided that as a contact number previously).

They shouldn't have left so much info on a voicemail just as you should have updated your contact details when you found out the error on their system. Mistakes on both sides i think.

I don't need any more people telling me that I'm in the wrong, I get it okay like I said it was more of a rant than anything, I'm not going to explain myself again I've got the advice I need now so thanks

You don't have to explain yourself but I would recommend being open to hearing all opinions if you're going to post on a forum like this.

Pleased you got the advice you needed. It's a weird time at the moment and everyone is busy and stressed with a lot on their mind. The NHS is stretched and under pressure. Mistakes happen, we're all just human.