Cleaner did not breach data security says hospital

Published on 26/11/2011 00:37

A HEALTH authority investigating how a hospital cleaner managed to contact a patient on Facebook has revealed that the man found the woman’s name on electronic screen for staff use.

Police are investigating claims that a cleaner at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary breached confidentiality by looking up a patient’s medical records to obtain their name and then contacted her.

The patient alleges that having attended the infirmary’s accident and emergency department last Wednesday after breaking two of her fingers, she received a friend request on Facebook that included a message containing a reference to her injuries.

But NHS Lothian last night said that the cleaner had not breached the hospital’s computer systems and said instead that her name was on a computerised floor plan in the A&E ward.

Jackie Sansbury, chief operating officer at NHS Lothian, insisted the cleaner had no access to private medical records.

She said: “A full review of our confidential patient record and monitoring system has been carried out and shows our systems were not breached.

“This in no way excuses behaviour of this kind and security messages have been reinforced to our staff and sub-contracted employees that they comply with data security guidelines.”