NHS worker accessed woman’s records and told her she had cancer

A hospital employee accessed Pippa Boardman’s medical records and told her she had breast cancer days before her consultant was due to give her the test results. The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust says the worker was allowed to view her records for work, but had no right to contact her about them. [1]

Boardman, from Lostwithiel in Cornwall, said the employee was a man she knew vaguely through her sport. He called her at home with the news. Two days later, her consultant confirmed she had cancer.

Now recovering well, Boardman said the experience had left her feeling that she had lost her dignity and privacy. She also criticised the trust’s response, saying it did not apologise until the BBC contacted it. She said she had struggled to understand why the hospital was not prepared to engage with her after she complained.

The trust said it was “truly sorry” that Boardman had been contacted in this way and recognised the distress it caused. It said an investigation was carried out immediately after she raised her concern and that “appropriate action” had been taken. It did not disclose details of the employee’s case, citing individual employment matters.

The trust said it had reminded staff that patient records must only be accessed for legitimate work-related reasons. It is also reviewing its policies in light of strengthened NHS England guidance on inappropriate access to patient information. [1]