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Essex: Health boss apologises after data stolen
2:07pm Monday 30th June 2008
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust's statement in full: On 18 June 2008 a laptop computer was stolen from a senior manager's car after it was broken into in Scotland. The police were called immediately and the Trust is cooperating fully with their investigation.
The computer contained personal information on several thousand of our patients, amongst many other files of less-sensitive data. The lists contained details including patients' names, their date of birth, postcode, hospital number and the hospital procedure the patient was about to undertake.
In a letter to the affected patients, Trust Chief Executive Peter Murphy apologised for the distress this incident may have caused.
He said: "The Trust offers all affected patients its sincere apologies for putting their confidential information at risk. The computer was password-protected and only authorised staff with the correct password could access the data. But as the data was not encrypted there is a very small chance that patient details can be accessed.
"We believe the data will almost certainly be wiped by the thief for a quick sale. Nonetheless, we owe it to our patients to protect their personal information and we have reminded our staff not to store this kind of data on laptops in the future.
"We have also set up a helpline for patients to ring for further information and the number is on the letter sent to the patients affected. If patients have not received this letter, their details are not on the lists stolen."
The Trust has not lost any patient data as a result of this incident. All of the files on the stolen computer were copies and the Trust still holds all of the information on its secure patient database at the hospital. No appointments will be affected.
Mr Murphy concluded by saying: "Patients and the public should be reassured that the Trust takes security and patient confidentiality very seriously. We are holding an investigation into how this incident occurred and its consequences and have suspended the member of staff involved until the investigation concludes."
Your Say YourColchester
Mrs PJ Turner, Colchester says...
3:46pm Mon 30 Jun 08
Fed-up Patient, Colchester says...
4:10pm Mon 30 Jun 08
Ex Labour Voter, Colchester says...
4:32pm Mon 30 Jun 08
I still can't forgive myself for voting for Labour into power during the past three General Elections. Never again. I am truly sorry.
WTF?, Essex says...
7:46pm Mon 30 Jun 08
really angry, colchester says...
10:51pm Mon 30 Jun 08
people should be sacked and e eryone effected compensated. Fraud is rife and the government do nothing about it. sack them 2 how many more mistakes are these people allowed to get away with.
In a car, in scotland what the hell 4, who allowed this? Mr Murrey? A few letters isn't good enough the implications for my family and others is huge, i for one dont need the stress.
What is going to happen now thats what i want to know!!!!!
gutted by the stupid NHS managers, Essex says...
10:55pm Mon 30 Jun 08
I work in IT and if given the stolen laptop could access the information within 10 minutes!!!!!
Sack the senior manager and make him handwrite apoligies to all patients and sack Mr Peter Murphey for his stupid comment regarding the fact that the data will be overwritten - an assumption - was there any indication ie asset tag that the laptop was NHS property, given markings on desktops at Colchester General I suspect that there may have been.
Sack them both and also ensure that the NHS employ IT staff who are capable of enforcing encription on laptops.
sarah, clacton says...
12:31am Tue 1 Jul 08
after getting cloned twice last year, we are not happy bunnies
will it ever end
security in this county is a joke!
quote
Red Tape, Colchester says...
6:51am Tue 1 Jul 08
asto, colchester says...
7:08am Tue 1 Jul 08
The trust apologises for putting data at risk, but in fact that is a nicety to avoid admitting a breach. And because of the sham of password protection a breach is only theoretical until proven.
As for compensation, that would only arise in the event of an actual loss which could be proven to be a result of this data breach. Candidly, with so much data fraud these days no-one could establish this. There should however be a standard fixed compensation for any data loss. It would not need to be a lot - even £100 would amount £200,000 in this case and that would be enough to ensure future problems being avoided.
Mal, Colchester says...
7:29am Tue 1 Jul 08
Joe Blogger, Soapbox says...
9:37am Tue 1 Jul 08
Tina, Colchester says...
12:35pm Tue 1 Jul 08
That someone was able to have personal details on his/her computer, presumably without any business need, suggests the Fata Protection/Security measures in force are woefully inadequate!
Jack, Maldon says...
2:35pm Tue 1 Jul 08
Brenda, Clacton says...
4:32pm Tue 1 Jul 08
I`m SO angry!, Stanway says...
5:25pm Tue 1 Jul 08
Cliff, Colchester says...
5:31pm Tue 1 Jul 08
Len Harvey, colchester says...
7:11pm Tue 1 Jul 08
Karen, colchester says...
7:37pm Tue 1 Jul 08
The letter from the Chief Executive was an insult to one's intelligence. The assurances about future appointments treatment is totally missing the point. We are talking about stolen identity Mr Murphy.
It also occurs to me the possibility of my Next of Kin details being at risk.
I suppose the person responsible has been suspended on Full Pay?? If so, why?
Will we be informed of the result of the investigation?
I am furious that the Trust have been so cavalier with personal details & did not even feel it necessary to inform ayone for 2 weeks!!
margaret, tendring says...
7:59pm Tue 1 Jul 08
There was no financial info stolen.
There was no health record stolen.
there was no Next of Kin details.
Nearly all of the data is available on the Electoral Register and elsewhere. For instance, go and look at http://www.192.com/s
earch/people.cfm
And let's keep it in perspective: it was stolen from a car 400 miles away in Edinburgh. Don't be naive as to how hard it is to get data like this from legitimate sources.
And it took 10 days to get 21,000 letters written, printed, stuffed and posted.
SE16, Colchester says...
9:31pm Tue 1 Jul 08
Mel Battle, sparkle says...
9:54pm Tue 1 Jul 08
Why would a senior manager have such random app info on his laptop. I could almost understand an audit of such appointments of all those undergoing treatment for x etc.
But it is so random- some for accidents for children, some for pregnancy (me) some for traumatic treatment.
Oh, of course, I am SO relieved that my next appointment will not be affected.
Purlease. The Trust is being run by imbeciles. Trust, is totally the wrong word to use.
tired manager, tendring says...
7:08am Wed 2 Jul 08
I always thought that records were confidential and only available to the medical teams dealing.As someone who works in the hospital can I assure everyone it was NOT medical records - just appointment data.
Why did a senior manager need our medical details on his laptop.This data is used by managers to ascertain how many are on a waiting list. In fact to the average member of the public we could call it a list of people waiting or a 'waiting list'! That is what was on the laptop. Managers use that data to check that people are being seen in time.
Oh, of course, I am SO relieved that my next appointment will not be affected.And the bit about your next appointment was that some people thought that the hospital had lost the original files - and not (as is the case) had a COPY of the data stolen.
Purlease.
sarah, colchester says...
7:17am Wed 2 Jul 08
Tina, Colchester says...
12:35pm Wed 2 Jul 08
I appreciate that managers need to ascertain how many people are on a waiting-list. To do so, though, they do not require patient-specific information. The data required should have been anonymised - and would still have been fit for purpose.
Paul Searle, Head of Communications, Colchester says...
4:37pm Wed 2 Jul 08
Dear Letters Page
Following the coverage in the media about our Trusts laptop computer stolen from a senior managers car I wanted to quash some rumours and reassure affected patients on two points.
First, there were no medical records or detailed medical history on the laptop. Second, there was no financial information nor any National Insurance number on it either.
Speculation has been rife and this is causing further worry to the affected patients.
I reiterate that I consider the incident to have been a serious breach of procedure. I am fully aware of the distress this incident has already caused and once again apologise to everyone affected.
May I take this opportunity to say that if you have not received a letter from the Trust on the incident by now, you will not have been one of the affected patients.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Murphy
Chief Executive
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust
red tape, says...
10:49pm Wed 2 Jul 08
Your sayYourColchester
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Colchester NHS Patient, Colchester says...
2:35pm Mon 30 Jun 08
Why the h*ll where the details of Colchester hospital patients doing on
on a laptop in Scotland?
Will every patient who has their ID details stolen as a result of this theft and employee stupidity be properly
compensated by the Trust?
Does the Trust plan to sack the stupid employee who took this data sensitive laptop to Scotland?
Will Peter Murphy be sacked as a result of this massive data breach?
Mr Murphy is making a big assumption that the data will be wiped before it is sold on by the thieves.
Are Peter Murphy and the Trust aware of the massive market there is for stolen ID details?
Why aren't our useless councillors and MPs asking these questions - given that they are paid a kings ransom to act for us?