Data breach by Addenbrookes Hospital reveals patient information BBC News
pA hospital trust has apologised after private information on more than 22000 patients was released in two breaches ppThe leaks in 2020 and 2021 concerned maternity and cancer patients at Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge ppRoland Sinker chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the breaches had only recently come to light ppCambridge MP Daniel Zeichner has called for a review to prevent future breaches ppThe trust said details shared included names hospital numbers and some medical information and identified women who have had terminations and miscarriagesppIt said no home addresses or dates of birth were included adding We have found no evidence in either case of the information being accessed or shared any furtherppI want to apologise to all of our patients for two data breaches which happened in 2020 and 2021 and which have recently come to light Mr Sinker saidppBoth were the result of mistakenly including patient information in Excel spreadsheets in response to Freedom of Information Act FOI requestsppThe first case related to data provided about maternity patients in a FOI request via the What Do They Know website ppThe website group alerted the trust to the breach and removed the information from their own website said Mr SinkerppIn a statement Mr Sinker explained In responding to the request we mistakenly shared some personal data which was not immediately visible in the spreadsheet we provided but which could be accessed via a pivot tableppThis data related to 22073 patients booked for maternity care at The Rosie Hospital between 2 January 2016 and 31 December 2019ppIt included the names and hospital numbers of patients and their birth outcomesppFollowing discovery of the breach the trust said it undertook a review of all the FOI requests some 8000 it had responded to in the past 10 years ppIn doing this we discovered one further case where patient data was mistakenly contained in a spreadsheet sent in 2021 as part of a FOI response to Wilmington PLC ppWe have requested confirmation from Wilmington PLC that it has been deletedppThat data related to 373 cancer patients on clinical trials and included their names hospital numbers and some medical information he saidppWhile there is no evidence in either case of the information being accessed or shared beyond the original recipients we recognise that such errors are unacceptable given our clear duty to maintain the confidentiality of patient information Mr Sinker addedppWe want to apologise unreservedly to our patients for the worry and concern that this news may causeppThe trust said given the sensitivity of the maternity information and to avoid any risk of family members finding out about a previously undisclosed pregnancy it would not be writing directly to patients in this groupppInstead it had set up guidance on its website for patients who think they might have been affectedppLabour MP Mr Zeichner said I am pleased that once they were aware the trust has acted swiftly and responsibly in consultation with patient groups and has put in place sensible measures to support those affected ppThere now needs to be a full review to ensure that this cannot happen againppFollow East of England news on Facebook Instagram and X Got a story Email eastofenglandnewsbbccouk or WhatsApp on 0800 169 1830ppPolice probe hospital medics qualificationsppHospital breached duty of care over stroke patientppCambridge University Hospitals Addenbrookes Rosie ResearchppFirst extensive map of genetic changes in DDX3X gene will aid diagnosis and treatmentppNew Wello dental wellness studio in Cambridge offers dental hygiene treatments without the need to see a dentist firstppPeterborough sex offender back behind bars after being caught with dozens of indecent images of childrenppIcelandic tradition celebrated at Wisbech academyppAD FEATURE The Burwell kebab van thats getting rave reviews from delighted customersppMore than 100000 dead fish spotted in river in Nene Park in PeterboroughppThe price of peace between Israelis and PalestiniansppSenior US official due in Israel after Gaza war warningsppOne unaccounted for and injuries after explosionppThe Afghans stuck on the border trying to reach the USppThe Papers Landmark COP28 deal and police hunt for missing motherppThe city which still celebrates SaturnaliappThe miracle drugs priced out of patients reachppShe was like a tsunami the unstoppable rise of BonmatippCan you solve GCHQs codebreaker challenge for kidsppEnergy firms must help customers with unpaid billsppContenders to be the next Welsh first ministerppHong Kongs universities shrivel in Beijings gripppThey were more than a band they were everythingppFind out how five boys and one fandom changed things foreverppCan you use logic to find the size of these anglesppPut your knowledge and deduction skills to use in this tricky challenge about trianglesppWatch as a rare Dumbo octopus swims byppAn underwater camera captures a rare event thousands of metres beneath the surface of the Pacific OceanppNHS scandals behind closed doorsppFile on 4 interviews the NHS whistleblowers punished for raising safety concernsppA hero even though I didnt winppFamily bonds face gangland furyppRelax with Radio 1 this ChristmasppShe has a deadly supernatural legacypp 2023 BBC The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites Read about our approach to external linkingp