My “friend” looked at my medical record.. Question for anyone who works in a NHS hospital

[AdviceNeeded3282]

As the title says. A friend of mine who works as an admin in the back office of a hospital has access to patient medical records/information. One night out she openly admitted that she has looked through people’s medical records?!?! (My guess is it’s all computerised). I was gob smacked to say the least. She found it funny/said it was interesting then realised I was angry. She openly admitted she has looked at all of our (close friends) records. My guess she has looked at my DH’s and anyone she is friends with? Anyhow about 2 years ago I went to my GP as I was suffering with depression which I told NO ONE about. This was at my doctors, not my hospital. Are all the systems linked ???? I do not want her knowing my private business like this. Before you say you should report her, I am not going down that road.

What she’s done is illegal and unethical, but you’re not coming out of this too well yourself tbh given that you know she’s accessing people’s medical records and you’re not willing to do anything about it. It’s not just about you, you know.

Please report her to the hospitals PALs team. What she has done is an enormous breach of trust and her employer should know. It's unlikely that she can see anything from your gp but it's possible. You wouldn't cause her to lose her job - she will have caused it all by herself.

Report it. The system will show who accessed the records and when. She should be sacked. The trust will report it to the Information Commissioner because it is obliged to. She might be convicted and fined. She is unlikely to get a custodial sentence.
There's a reason why it's illegal. They may well find out anyway and you risk her taking her down with you if you know about it and do nothing.

Definitely report her.

This should be reported and would be taken very seriously. I read in the paper a couple of weeks ago that a number of staff, including a senior consultant, are under investigation for accessing Sir Alex Ferguson's records while he was being treated in hospital for his brain haemorrhage. Those people had absolutely no right or need to look at his record but did so out of sheer bloody nosiness. They should be sacked.
I'm afraid OP that you owe it to others to report your friend. It's not fair that she should get away with it.

that is terrible. A cottage hospital I worked at had a similar group of staff, shocking. All the staff! There werent many of them.

If she genuinely looks as often as she has boasted then it will get picked up at audit. She doesn't sound like someone I would want to be friends with. How grubby to spend working hours trawling through confidential records just to have a story for down the pub.

You have to report her to Information Goverbance. It’s a sackable offence and we don’t want people like her working for the NHS!

Taking you down with her not vice versa.
She's committed a criminal offence. One of the rare few under GDPR.

They are linked - or they are where I live. When I went into hospital to give birth they had results from some gp tests that I didn't know about. Agree you should report her. She would likely lose her job but deserves to in my opinion. I would have nothing further to do with her personally.

She should only be looking at the information she needs for her role, so not looking back to discover people have been assaulted etc.

As everyone has said, she should never look at family and friends notes, or her own.

It really ought to be reported OP and I’m sure you can think of a way to do so without her knowing it was you.

I don’t think it’s as common as you think, because most of us know that it is all traceable. It’s tempting, especially if you want to check your child’s next appointment or whatever but as an adult it’s something you can stop yourself doing. Otherwise you are in the wrong job.

We use EMIS and it is not linked to hospital records. We can refer patients directly on the system but visits to us are not accessible to the hospital. That is why when we do referrals any major past history is revealed but not every conversation talking about depression/cause UTI's sore throats etc are. These details are not needed by the hospital.
So OP if you have had a referral to the hospital and your GP had added the code "depression" to your records it will be seen on the referral letter only nowhere else.
Your friend would have to read carefully to find it (and know where to look).
Regardless of this, she needs reporting

Please please report her.

This is unacceptable. Patient confidentiality is vital. If information is accessed by people who don't need to know it then people will stop telling NHS workers the truth and this compromises patient care.

I work in health records and wouldn’t dream of doing this. Im sure no one in my department would either.

You need to report her. She gives the rest of us a bad name.

Report her

If you are not going to report her then at least tell her that you know what she is doing is a dismissable offence. It is completely traceable - click on a button & you can see who has viewed that page. She needs to understand how serious this is and she will lose her job if it is discovered. One anonymous phone call is all it takes.

Re gp records - all that I can see on our hospital systems is if the gp has made a referral to hospital they may attach a summary sheet that lists gp encounters e.g. 16\8\15 hypertension 16\8\16 haemorrhoids 16\8\17 depression. And a list of current medication. No more detail than that. If you're not a patient of the hospital we can't see anything. But that's just our electronic record - other systems might be different.

I feel angry on your behalf op. And for her to admit it openly in front of several friends shows that she has no idea of how awful her actions are. I work in the nhs and have access to peoples records and would never open their files. Never!! There will be a electronic footprint that can be traced so she is on thin ice.

I have access to an online patient system at work and in the front screen before you log in, it clearly says that looking at any records other than those for which you have a legitimate work-related need, is considered gross misconduct and can result in dismissal. All access is logged and can be checked up on. Her employer WILL take this seriously, even if you speak anonymously to PALS at the hospital. She wouldn't be dismissed on your allegation, but on the findings of their investigation.

She will of left tracks. She will 100% left evidence of what she has done.

She wouldn't be my friend anymore and i would report her.

She can enjoy 2019 starting off with less friends and no job.

What if the friend is looking at the paper notes? If what she says is true re the info that she knows it seems that she has access to a lot of information. Could she be reading the actual notes? In which case how would they prove that?

The clinic receptionists handle medical records. If they had a rifle through how would anyone know? Same in medical records - would anyone know if they looked through the notes?

GP and hospital records aren't linked but if a GP writes a referral to the hospital they will include past medical history which would include depression if linked to the speciality and it would list the current medications prescribed by the GP.

Hospital letters to the GP will also have this information, change of medications and treatment plans, reviews and follow ups and even copies of letters sent to other specialities following the hospital appointment.

Please report her op. What she's doing is completely unethical and if people realise that their records aren't confidential then they'll stop asking for help they need. She needs to be disciplined and sacked and made an example of. What a vile person.

Two people I know working for the NHS (unconnected to each other and at different times) admitted to looking at friends records. One had looked at mine and knew details of my infertility treatment.

I am friends with neither of them anymore but assume it’s more commonplace than people realise.

I didn’t report as had no evidence, they could have said they were joking.

Your ‘friend’ will be well aware that this is totally unethical and a sackable offence. I had an interview at a doctors surgery for a receptionist role and it was made very clear to me from that point that this was against all rules. I was also told that any friends/ relatives etc that were under the surgery would have to change practices.

I understand that you don’t want her to lose her job but in all honesty, she doesn’t deserve to hold that position. She has already put an end to your friendship with this revelation. If she has snooped on you and your circle of friends she has probably snoooed on others that she’s knows. Who knows what damage she could do with the information she has read and continues to have access to. She needs stopping. Please reconsider.

She is not only reading it she is telling you what she is reading.

How would you feel in 6 months if that sexual assault she nosed about and gossiped with you about even with no name turns out to be one of your DC's teachers or TA?

You may not have been the one nosing but you would know all this private shit.

And she will not stop. So even if she doesn't see your GP notes she will read anything you ever go there for. And will tell others even if she doesn't name you.