NHS Lanarkshire has its knuckles rapped over staff use of WhatsApp to share sensitive …
HealthNHS Lanarkshire has had its knuckles rapped after staff shared patients’ personal data on WhatsApp hundreds of times.The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued the reprimand after finding 26 staff sent sensitive data to each other via the messaging app on more than 500 occasions.The data – which was leaked between April 2020 and April 2022 – included patients’ names, phone numbers, addresses, images, videos, screenshots and clinical information.A non-staff member was also added to the WhatsApp group in error, meaning they could have viewed the sensitive information.While NHS staff are allowed to use WhatsApp for basic communication, it is not approved for sharing sensitive data.NHS Lanarkshire was made aware of the issue and reported the incident to the ICO, who – after investigation – concluded the organisation did not have the appropriate policies, clear guidance or processes in place when WhatsApp was made available to download.This meant NHS Lanarkshire had no assessment of the potential risks relating to sharing patient data.John Edwards from the ICO said: “Patient data is highly sensitive information that must be handled carefully and securely.“When accessing healthcare and other vital services, people need to trust their data is in safe hands. We appreciate NHS Lanarkshire, like
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