ICO reprimands NHS Lanarkshire for sharing patient data via WhatsApp
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a reprimand to NHS Lanarkshire following the use of WhatsApp by staff to share patient data.
News

Clinicians told they can use WhatsApp to share data in face of Covid-19
The focus on sharing information needs to shift from “how you share it” to “what information you share and who you share it with”, NHSX guidance states.
News

Mobile health and apps news in brief
This month’s mobile apps round-up features news WhatsApp-style clinical messaging app Forward could save the NHS £44m a year.
Digital Patient

Instant message app guidance ‘more confusing than helpful’, doctor says
Dr Barney Gilbert told Digital Health that “very few” NHS workers would be aware of the guidance for using apps like WhatsApp to quickly share patient data.
Clinical Software

NHS issues guidance on use of instant messaging apps
The guidance sets out how and in which circumstances doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff can use messaging apps within acute clinical settings.
News 4

Calling time-out on WhatsApp: The need for secure and integrated clinical messaging service
While the widespread use of WhatsApp in the NHS shows that clinicians see value in technology, Dr Jonathon Bloor thinks the health service needs secure messaging platforms that are part of clinical workflow tool and integrated with EPRs to deliver benefits across whole health economies.
Feature 6

Jeremy Hunt backs calls for ‘WhatsApp-style’ messaging app for NHS staff
A “WhatsApp-style” instant messaging service will be trialled within the NHS as part of attempts to improve communications between care teams and reduce reliance on outdated or unsafe technology.
Digital Patient 16

The Impact of Consumer Messaging Apps in the NHS
The regulatory & practical impact of consumer messaging apps is a contentious topic, but not one that can be ignored. To investigate the scale of, and the driving factors behind IM adoption, CommonTime surveyed over 800 NHS staff.
Clinical Software

Information Governance Alliance drafts guidelines for instant messaging use
The Information Governance Alliance (IGA) has drafted guidelines for clinicians using instant messaging for work purposes, hailing such systems as a ‘useful tool’ but highlighting the possibility of ‘serious’ data security concerns.
Clinical Software 6
