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100,000 can view NHS medical records

26/03/2010 14:13:05

Data released under the Freedom of Information Act has shown more than 100,000 non-clinical staff working at the NHS can gain access to private medical records.

Campaign group TaxPayers' Alliance, which put in the request, received responses back from 140 acute hospital trusts across the UK.

It had asked for information to be provided on the number of staff not directly involved in the treatment of patients who have access to the confidential records.

And having analysed the data, the Big Brother Watch group, part of the TaxPayers' Alliance, believes NHS workers such as porters, IT staff and hospital administrators can gain access to either paper or online versions.

Immediate access was defined as staff who could see at least a patient's name, date of birth and most recent medical history without needing the consent of the patient or the signature of another member of staff.

Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch, said the Government needed to address the problems as a matter of urgency.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "This report is awash with inaccuracies and manages to claim quite falsely that detailed medical records will be shared nationally - they won't.

"The authors are also confused, muddling the distinction between paper files, which allow any member of staff to see confidential information, and new electronic systems which strictly control access to those directly involved in a patient's healthcare."

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