The key facts
- Pippa Boardman from Lostwithiel learned about her breast cancer over the phone from an acquaintance who worked at the hospital, two days before her appointment with a consultant
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust apologised only after the BBC got in touch and conducted an investigation, taking 'appropriate action'
- Health Secretary Yvette Cooper called a series of recent NHS data breaches shameful
Patient learned of diagnosis from a stranger
Pippa Boardman from Lostwithiel in Cornwall told the BBC that a man she knew through sport called her at home and said: 'Pippa, don't worry, but you have cancer.' According to her, he was an employee of Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, who had accessed her medical records a few days before the scheduled consultation. Two days later, a consultant confirmed she had breast cancer. 'I just couldn't believe it,' Boardman recalled.
Consequences and the patient's reaction
Nine months on, Boardman is recovering well from the illness, but, in her words, what she went through cannot be made up for: 'I lost my dignity and I lost my privacy.' She noted that part of the trauma was caused by how the hospital handled the incident. She said she was told that the employee's rights did not allow them to disclose information to her, and she wondered: 'But where are my rights in all this?' She added that she wants to prevent similar cases from happening to other patients.
Apology and the hospital's measures
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said it 'sincerely apologises' for how Boardman was contacted, and stressed that the employee had legitimate access to the records as part of their work, but that contact with the patient went beyond their duties. According to a spokesperson, 'appropriate action' was taken following an investigation carried out immediately after the patient's complaint. Boardman said she received an apology only after the BBC contacted the hospital. The Trust said it had reminded staff of the rule that records may be accessed only when necessary for work, and is reviewing its policies in light of updated NHS England guidance on unauthorised access to patient data.
Context: other NHS breaches
Boardman's case occurred against the backdrop of a series of recent NHS data breaches, which Health Secretary Yvette Cooper called shameful. Among them were reports of staff accessing the records of victims of assaults, as well as the dismissal of ten employees following a data breach connected to the Noah Woods case.
Pippa Boardman was told she had cancer by a hospital worker, days before her scheduled appointment with a consultant
Image source, Press Association The Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust said it was
