I'll put this here, as it's related...
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS trust apologises after illicit access of medical records of toddler who died in Brantham
www.theguardian.com
Right...This is an issue which has arisen any number of times in any number of trusts, not just the ones mentioned; it's a by-product of computerised records, which obviously can be accessed remotely, unlike paper files.
However, everyone, but everyone, in any given trust will have to have undertaken annual training in information governance, which covers data protection, confidentiality and all. There will be trust policies and guidelines on confidentiality and accessing of patient notes. Everyone from a clinical background will have professional requirements covering these areas.
WTAF are folk playing at accessing notes they have no clinical reason to access?
Every access of notes can be traced (certainly in the systems I used) back to an individual user account: do folk not know this?
Notes deemed sensitive for whatever reason (I came across those belonging to staff members or families of staff members, high profile patients - think Raoul Moat - and such like being defined as sensitive) can be locked and access allowed only to certain relevant clinicians, who will have special access arrangements and that access will be closely monitored.
How the ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ ◊◊◊◊ do these idiots not know this?
And why the ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ ◊◊◊◊ do they think they have any sort of right to access notes of anyone other than one of their own patients?
And, aside from ward admin staff, why would anyone not a clinician think they have any class of access to clinical information?
Oh, and Jim Mackey can just ◊◊◊◊ off on general principle, as he's a twat.