East Lancs hospital bosses apologise for breach of patient confidentiality

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HOSPITAL bosses have admitted an ex-employee suffered a breach of patient confidentiality when a former colleague read out her medical notes to other staff.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) has apologised to Ewood mum-of-three Kate Beardsworth for the distress caused by the incident.

The 31-year-old used to work in the medical records department at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, but was dismissed in June last year following a dispute about the working conditions and problems with her back.

She was admitted to the hospital as a patient in October, and heard that a former colleague had ‘retrieved my case notes from the library and proceeded to read my medical history to the rest of the staff in the office’.

Mrs Beardsworth, who said she is now unable to work because of her back problems, said: “This is completely unacceptable in any health organisation.”

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