Heads should roll when information is lost

03/07/2008

Commenting after NHS Lothian briefed MSPs on the loss of confidential patient information after a member of staff breached the Data Protection Act, David McLetchie, Scottish Conservative MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, said:

“The list goes on. Last November it was announced that 25 million individual files relating to child benefit had been lost and in the same month the Scottish Public Pensions Agency contrived to mislay several hundred files. In January of this year several MOD laptops containing sensitive information went missing, and only last month a foreign office official left confidential documents behind on a train even though they should never have left the office. The Scottish Ambulance Service fiasco is now followed by today’s revelation that confidential information on 137 patients has been lost by NHS Lothian.

“It would appear in this case that there has been a clear disregard for the rules and protocols governing the handling of such information, as well as a flagrant breach of the Data Protection Act. This is unacceptable and we need to call a halt to the cavalier attitude to personal, confidential and sensitive information which is evident in the actions of certain public servants.

“In future, it should be made absolutely clear that where the security of such information is breached as a result of a blatant disregard for the rules, then heads will roll and this type of misconduct will merit dismissal, not just a mild slap across the wrist. We need to restore public confidence as a matter of urgency.”