DH found guilty on MTAS data protection breach
The Information Commissioner’s Office has found the Department of Health in breach of the Data Protection Act following an investigation into a security breach in the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS) website, and warns the department faces potential prosecution. The ICO yesterday warned the DH of possible future prosecutions following the May security breach on […]
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Overseas data work under review, say reports
The government is reportedly reviewing whether sensitive information about NHS patients could be sent overseas for processing. A leaked internal NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) document, published by Computer Weekly magazine, reveals a review is under way into whether patient data could be processed by “approved organisations” abroad. The DH said in a statement on […]
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Health records a target for ‘the wicked’
Richard Jeavons, senior responsible owner for service implementation at Connecting for Health has admitted to the Commons Home Affairs Committee that the NHS Care Records Service database is open to misuse by “the wicked”. Given evidence to the committee, as part of their inquiry into ‘A Surveillance Society’, Jeavons, who is also director of IT […]
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Revenue blunder is a lesson for public bodies
The Information Commissioner has highlighted the importance of tight security and data protection in public sector bodies, following the security lapse at HM Revenue and Customs (HRMC) leading to the disappearance of discs containing the personal data of 25m people. Last night the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, confirmed that two computer discs holding the personal details […]
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Losing patient data may become a crime
The court should be able to prosecute doctors who have laptops containing unencrypted patient information stolen from their cars, according to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO has put forward proposals to the Ministry of Justice that will mean that it would be a criminal offence to “knowingly or recklessly” flout data protection rules […]
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Government rejects consent call for SUS use
The government has rejected calls from the Commons Health Select Committee to apply consent to the use of Secondary Uses Service data for research purposes, including information in ‘sealed envelopes’. In its official response to the committee’s report on the Electronic Patient Record the government says that the design of the Secondary Uses Services (SUS) […]
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Patient confidentiality extends beyond death
The Information Tribunal has ruled that medical records of a dead woman should not be released, because there is still a duty of confidentiality in its contents following death. In his ruling, Chris Ryan, the Information Tribunal deputy chairman, said the duty of confidentiality between patient and doctor should be maintained, even after death. The […]
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Uncertainty over legality of NCRS
Health minister Ben Bradshaw has refused to release information on the legality of the NHS Care Records Service (NCRS) and played down suggestions the NHS database will breach European law. Bradshaw was responding to Jeremy Wright MP who had contacted the health minister on behalf of one of his constituents Dr Paul Thornton, a GP […]
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DH explains summary and detailed records
Guidance on how the two elements of the NHS electronic patient record – the detailed and summary records – will work in England has been released by the Department of Health. The guidance re-iterates that only the Summary Care Record (SCR) will be a national system, and that patients can opt-out from data being visible […]
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OGC accused of shredding Gateway review reports
The Office of Government Commerce has reportedly ordered civil servants to destroy copies of Gateway review reports into government computer upgrades, to prevent information on delayed projects being leaked or disclosed under Freedom of Information legislation. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) Gateway Process examines government programmes and projects at key decision points in their […]
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