East Lancashire Hospitals staff dismissed over breaches of Data Protection Act

Two more were given final written warnings and another is in a disciplinary process.

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The breaches of the Data Protection Act are contained in a report by privacy campaign group 'Big Brother Watch''.

It covers April 1 2011 to April 1 2014 and also reveals that Lancashire's mental health trust had four incidents, sacking one staff member.

A second worker was dismissed and then reinstated on appeal over accessing his own patient record.

Burnley Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle said: "If staff are caught snooping, it is absolutely appalling and they should be out of the door."

Pendle Tory MP Andrew Stephenson said he was 'concerned' at the breaches and called for security procedures to be tightened.

They and Blackburn Labour MP Jack Straw welcomed the decisive action taken by the trusts to deal with the breaches.

'Big Brother Watch' revealed that there had 7,255 breaches nationwide over the three year, equivalent to six a day .

The Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust based in Preston a similar-sized organisation to EHLT, had six recorded breaches, four by a single non-medical staff member who was dismissed. Another was given a final written warning.

The Freedom of Information request from Big Brother Watch discovered the ELHT cases included:

• a member of the non-medical staff dismissed for accessing personal information for personal interest;
• a non-medical staff member dismissed for sharing patient information with a third party;
• a non-medical worker reprimanded for three cases of sharing patient information with a third party;
• two non-medical staff given final written warnings over three cases of accessing personal information for personal interest;
• a medical staff member given a final written warning for sharing patient information;
• a non-medical workers in the disciplinary hearing process over substantiated allegations of inappropriately sharing patient information; and
• another non-medical worker faced 'informal action' for sharing patient information.

Lancashire Care's cases included:

• a non-medical staff member dismissed for unauthorised access to patients' records;
• another non-medical staff member issued a final written warning for disclosing personal information to a third party;
• informal action against a non -medical worker who emailed personal information to a third party; and
• a non medical staff member dismissed and then re-instated on appeal for accessing his own patient record.

Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, said: “The information held in medical records is of huge personal significance and for details to be wrongly disclosed, maliciously accessed or lost is completely unacceptable.

“Urgent action is needed to ensure medical records are safe.

“This must go hand in hand with greater penalties for those who abuse that access. This should include the threat of jail time and a criminal record.”

Mr Birtwistle added: "This type of snooping into people's personal medical records is totally unacceptable. The trusts need to tighten security procedures."

Mr Stephenson said: "I am concerned at these breaches. I am pleased the trusts have taken decisive action but security procedures and training need to be tightened to stop this illegal snooping happening again."

Mr Straw said: "I am pleased the trusts have taken such prompt and decisive action."

Rineke Schram, chief medical officer at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We take all breaches of confidentiality very seriously and while we are unable to comment on the individual cases, any breaches are dealt with promptly and correctly."

Dominic McKenna, acting director of Finance at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The trust takes the protection of patient data extremely seriously. All staff are required to undergo annual training. Breaches are rare and are dealt with in accordance disciplinary procedures.”