Health trust loses 6,000 records

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 13 Jan 2009 at 08:50

The Lancashire Care Trust has lost a USB flash drive containing the records of 6,000 prisoners undergoing medical treatment.

Though the data on the drive had been encrypted to comply with new Government regulations, the password to unlock the data had been attached to the drive on a Post-it note.

The drive went missing on 30 December after it was moved from the medical clinic to the administration department in order for the records to be backed up. The Lancashire Primary Care Trust which lost the data says it is in the process of developing a secure network connection to complete this task automatically, but that work had yet to be completed

Among the records lost were prisoner details including surnames, age, identification and cell number. There were also appointment dates, and in some cases references to medical conditions and treatments, according to a statement.

"We are deeply sorry, this never should have happened," says NHS Central Lancashire chief executive Joe Rafferty in the statement. "We have launched a full and thorough investigation, and we are taking all necessary steps to ensure it cannot happen again."

Rafferty says that the Information Commissioner's Office has been notified, and that the staff responsible have been suspended pending an investigation.