NHS Data Breach Threats and Claiming Compensation

Recognising and preventing NHS data breach threats is a core part of the mission to protect our valuable healthcare service and to ensure that patient confidentiality is upheld.

A lot of the claims for data breach compensation that we represent people for involve medical information. The reason for this is because it is often targeted by hackers, and it is also often the subject of data leaks because of how much information there is and how many people are involved. At the same time, this kind of information generally can have a substantial impact on the victim if it is misused or exposed, which often leads people to instruct us for a claim for compensation.

Risks and NHS data breach threats

Any NHS data breach threats can be a significant cause for concern. In fact, one of the major threats that our healthcare system faces – as well as the wider sector – is the risk of data breaches, leaks and hacks.

The NHS is a clear target for cyberhackers to try to steal swathes of incredibly personal and sensitive information. There is also the issue of funding constraints which has meant in the past that some NHS systems and servers have not been as secure as they could be. It is common for hackers to attack what they may deem as soft targets, and we saw this with the 2017 WannaCry incident that had a significant impact on the NHS.

Ultimately, the NHS must take cybersecurity incredibly seriously and the government must make it a real priority in terms of protecting our valuable healthcare system. This ranges from the private GPs contracting to the NHS, as well as hospitals and NHS foundation trusts that are all a part of this significant digital infrastructure.

We all know that the coronavirus pandemic resulted in considerable additional strain on the NHS and the healthcare sector. Hackers exploited this vulnerable time, and we are still in the midst of the pandemic with resources stretched and the need for greater care from the government.

What you can do about a data breach

As well as addressing NHS data breach threats and understanding that work needs to be done in this regard, it is also important to recognise that victims require justice when information is misused and/or exposed. This is why the GDPR can entitle victims of a data breach to claim compensation for any distress that has been caused by the loss of control of their personal information.

We often say this but, to repeat it again for the purposes of this article, medical information is usually precisely the kind of data that we want to remain confidential. It is personal and sensitive, and we are afforded control over it for very good reasons. At the same time, the GDPR recognises medical information as special category data for a good reason also. As such, if medical information is misused or exposed, the impact on the victim can be substantial. This is why our work as privacy claims specialist is vital to securing some form of justice for what has happened.

You can speak to our team for free, no-obligation legal advice here now.

Many healthcare data breaches since 2019

There have been many healthcare data breaches since 2019 and throughout 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic being one of the biggest contributing factors of issues that were faced. A large number of the victims that we represent for privacy claims involve some form of medical data, so we can tell you from considerable experience that these kinds of events can be common. This goes to show how significant NHS data breach threats can be.

Your Lawyers, as Leading Data Leak Lawyers, are here to champion the rights of those who have been wronged. You could be entitled to pursue a claim now on a No Win, No Fee basis and we will do all we can to try to help you.

Arden University Data Breach Compensation Action

Breaching Data Protection Rules – Compensation Claims