Confidentiality query.

[Abitcomplex]

I was off work one day last week, and whilst off needed to fill a form in that required my NHS number.

I couldn't find my NHS card so rang work to ask if somebody could look it up on PAS if I gave them my details.

As it was me actually asking and not a colleague looking at my details anyway, is it still a breach of confidentiality?

Would it come up somewhere that a colleague looked at another colleagues details?

Sorry, I work for the NHS meant to say.

I've no idea, but if anything was flagged up there is a simple explanation which you'd be able to put forward. Could any other user of services request their number?

I don't know, temporary. Many other staff member ask me to look up their details to see if they have appointments coming up etc, and I've done this.

My colleague said he couldn't find my details anyway but not sure if he was secretly worried at looking at another colleagues details.

And I would have backed him up obviously, if something came up about it.

It would have been better to have phoned your surgery, since then it would have been a legitimate query from a patient. But I would clarify with your manager whether it's okay for people to look at each other's records with permission. The key thing is how to prove permission after the fact. What would you do if someone who'd ask you to look at upcoming appointments later denied having done so? (No reason to suppose anyone would, but they could). Do they ever ask for family members? Because then you really are straying into deep water. I think I would accept this was going to happen within a hospital and expect people to follow up requests with an email confirming their consent.

Btw depending on the system yes, his access to your record would have been recorded. If the system is connected to the Spine, the access would have been recorded there too.

You should not be looking up other employees records to see if they have appointments even with their permission. You will be severely disciplined if found out and the audit trail is obvious. When I look up one of my patient's records I can clearly see who has been on beforehand.

You should have telephoned HR. Your colleague will almost certainly have breached a policy or three.

Sorry for the delay in replying.

I feel awful. Going to see my manager tomorrow and tell her what I've done.

My colleague never brought my details up, said he couldn't find them. So luckily he'll be ok.

I use PAS, don't know if its connected to spine.