Maria Caulfield warns of enforcement action after London Clinic launches investigation into security breach
An investigation has been launched at the private London Clinic over claims staff tried to access the Princess of Wales's private medical records.An investigation has been launched at the private London Clinic over claims staff tried to access the Princess of Wales's private medical records.
Staff at the London Clinic could face enforcement action, including fines and prosecutions, if they are found to have accessed the Princess of Wales’s medical records, a government minister has said. Health minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News it was “pretty severe and serious stuff to be accessing notes that you don’t have permission to”. She was speaking after the private hospital reportedly launched an investigation over claims first reported in the Mirror that at least one member of staff tried to access Kate’s private medical records while she was being treated there in January. The Mirror quoted a source who said senior hospital managers had “contacted Kensington Palace immediately after the incident was brought to their attention and assured the palace there would be a full investigation”. Caulfield said: “The information commissioner would take enforcement action against trusts or primary care practices, but also, as individual practitioners, your regulatory body … would take action as well. She said it would be “very disappointing” if the notes had been accessed, but added that the public should be reassured that “there are very strict rules about which patient notes you can access”, restricting health workers to the patient notes that they are caring for, and with their permission. She added: “From a health perspective, it’s not acceptable to be looking at people’s notes, but it has been spotted and action has been taken so people can be reassured that if it does happen – particularly with electronic notes these days, it’s spotted pretty quickly if someone’s accessing notes that they shouldn’t be.”Speaking later to LBC, Caulfield added: “The information commissioner can also take prosecutions, can also issue fines, the NMC , other health regulators can strike you off the register if the breach is serious enough. “So there are particularly hefty implications if you are looking at notes for medical records that you should not be looking at.” A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner’s Office said on Tuesday: “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.”In a statement to the Mirror, the London Clinic said: “We firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information.” Details of the princess’s condition and surgery have not been disclosed. Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that she wished for her personal medical information to remain private. The investigation comes after a difficult time for the Princess of Wales, following the fallout from her first official photo released to the media since she underwent surgery. The image, released on Mother’s Day, was later withdrawn from circulation by photo agencies after concerns were raised over image manipulation.Photo of Queen Elizabeth II and family was enhanced at source, agency saysFirst post-op photo of Princess of Wales withdrawn due to ‘manipulation’Prince William pulls out of godfather’s memorial service over ‘personal matter’
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