You may have seen in the media over the weekend that some NHS staff have been suspended from duties whilst an investigation takes place around staff accessing patient information in unauthorised circumstances. 

Accessing patient records out of curiosity or for personal reasons is illegal. It causes real harm to patients, could have serious consequences on your career and may harm the reputation of our Trust.

NHS Digital have some guidance for healthcare colleagues. It explains the types of unlawful access, including for personal use.

So please remember that unless you are involved in the direct care of a patient, or the administration of that care, there is absolutely no reason why you should be accessing any healthcare record, even your own.

Access to all electronic Trust systems that hold patient information is audited, so our IT colleagues can see who has accessed a patient record, when they have accessed it and what the purpose of that access was.