Worrying Birmingham Hospital data breach figures

We’ve seen some worrying Birmingham Hospital data breach figures off the back of recent data released about NHS data incidents.

Birmingham Hospital sits at the top of the pile for 2017 data losses and thefts. According to a Freedom of Information request, some 10,000 documents went missing or were stolen in 2017 within the NHS. Over 3,000 of those were from Birmingham Hospital alone.

The figure of 10,000 missing or stolen documents is a horrendous amount. How can so many documents go missing when they’re likely to contain very sensitive and private information?

High volume of Birmingham Hospital data breach incidents

The FOI request revealed a shockingly high number of Birmingham Hospital data breach incidents for losses and information stolen. One of the core reasons for this reportedly came down to outdated and insecure methods of recording and communication. This included the use of handwritten notes.

When we have practically everyone – from me working for this law firm, to waiters with smartphones – now using mobile technology to digitally record information, why are the NHS still using handwritten notes? It isn’t efficient, and it is not always as secure.

With a prime reason for so many data losses and thefts being down to outdated and insecure communication methods, it seems clear to us that something needs to change.

Have you suffered a Birmingham Hospital data breach?

Have you suffered a Birmingham Hospital data breach? Based on the recent FOI, we wouldn’t be surprised.

It was found that 3,179 of the missing / stolen documents were from Birmingham Hospital alone. That’s a staggering amount of potentially private and sensitive information to lose in one year. That’s almost nine records a day!

Any victim of a Birmingham Hospital data breach can be entitled to make a claim for compensation. A legal case for a data loss or a data theft of private and sensitive information is important. It can allow for compensation for the victim and can hopefully result in the organisations responsible for the breach to improve their ways.

Ultimately, we want to be able to live without the worry that our data could be lost or stolen at any minute. With data breaches and data leaks being so common nowadays, it’s a constant worry for many of us.

Medical data in particular is often very private and very sensitive. Improvements must be made to curb the trend in Birmingham Hospital data breach incidents to allow patients to feel safe that their data is being handled security.

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