NHS staff who look at patients’ private medical records without a valid medical reason will now be suspended on the spot and instantly locked out of its computer systems.
NHS England has introduced a zero-tolerance policy following several incidents where staff improperly viewed confidential information they had no legitimate reason to see.
It has asked every trust to act immediately when staff are suspected of accessing patient records without proper justification.
In a letter sent to every hospital trust, NHS England Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey told leaders to act right away whenever someone is suspected of snooping, rather than waiting days or weeks for an inquiry to finish.
Computer systems across the NHS record exactly who opens a patient file and when. These routine audits allow hospitals to quickly flag unusual activity, such as staff checking files of people they are not treating.
If an investigation finds a worker guilty of snooping, trusts must dismiss them. For registered clinicians-including doctors, nurses, and pharmacist-cases will also be reported to professional regulators, meaning offenders could lose their licence to practise for good or even face criminal charges.
Sir Jim Mackey, NHS Chief Executive, said: “Patient records contain some of the most private information people will ever share.
“We have seen too many cases of people abusing that trust, and enough is enough.
“If someone is suspected of snooping, we cannot leave them in post with access to patients’ records while an investigation takes days or weeks. From now on, we will expect them to be suspended and have their access to NHS systems cut off immediately, while the facts are established.
“Anyone who thinks they can satisfy their curiosity by looking at a patient’s record should know this: they will be found out, they may lose their career, and could end up with a criminal record.”
To help stop breaches before they happen, the NHS has issued fresh guidelines to trusts on how to monitor system use and launched a national campaign reminding all employees of their privacy duties.
