Patient and employee data breaches

All data breaches can be capable of having a serious impact on victims, but the severity of a breach generally increases according to how much information is exposed, and the sensitivity of that information. Patient and employee data breaches, therefore, constitute some of the most harmful data security incidents that a victim can fall prey to.

Your Lawyers, as leading specialists in data breach law, have seen the damage that can be caused when personal data is compromised or exposed. Everyone should feel safe and secure in their hospitals or workplaces, but negligence of data protection principles can severely endanger people’s privacy.

In fact, all data controllers have a legal obligation to protect the personal information they process and hold. Where they fail to do so, they may be liable to pay damages to those affected. Making a data breach claim can allow you to recover the compensation you deserve, so contact our team for free, no-obligation advice if you think you may have a claim to make.

The effects of patient and employee data breaches

As highlighted above, the nature of the impact caused by a data breach can be determined by the nature and extent of the information exposed. Patient and employee data breaches can be particularly severe because of the sensitivity of information held by data controllers.

For example, alongside the typical contact details, healthcare organisations hold a huge amount of medical records relating to their patients, which can detail all the treatment a patient has ever had. Medical records are by nature intensely private, so their exposure can be incredibly worrying for victims. If cybercriminals get access to this information, it could equip them with powerful fuel for blackmail.

As for employee information, employers often hold private details like National Insurance numbers, bank account numbers, disciplinary records, and even diversity monitoring information on identifying details like ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Within the workplace, the exposure of information like this could make victims vulnerable to discrimination, and could facilitate fraud and other cybercrime if criminals manage to access it.

Examples of patient and employee data breaches

A number of cases we have been involved in can illustrate the potential effects of patient and employee data breaches. For instance, the 56 Dean Street clinic data breach exposed the details of hundreds of patients after a simple email error was made. Most disturbingly, the breach revealed the confidential HIV positive statuses of a number of patients, a distressing fact given the stigma around the virus.

In addition, the Blackpool NHS data breach exposed the information of around 6,574 employees after it was mistakenly published online. The exposed information included data held for equality and diversity monitoring, namely religious beliefs, sexual orientations and disabilities, all of which had been voluntarily disclosed by staff.

Making a data breach claim

Whether you have suffered a data protection breach at work or as a patient, you may be eligible to claim compensation for any harm caused. The effects of patient and employee data breaches can be profound, causing distress, psychological injuries, and sometimes financial losses or expenses. These are factors that can be taken into account when it comes to your compensation value.

At Your Lawyers – the Data Leak Lawyers – we are often able to offer No Win, No Fee representation to eligible clients, so there really should be no barrier to you making a claim.

Contact our team here for free, no-obligation advice.

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