A hospital staff member tried to sell the Princess of Wales’s medical records following an unprecedented privacy breach.
The Telegraph understands that the employee, thought to be a nurse, left The London Clinic following an internal investigation.
The Princess underwent major abdominal surgery at the private hospital in January 2024 before being diagnosed with cancer. While she was a patient, a staff member allegedly tried to access her confidential medical notes.
Two months later, the Information Commissioner’s Office confirmed that it had received a breach report and was assessing the information provided.
On Wednesday, the ICO said it had concluded its criminal investigation into the breach and issued a former healthcare professional with a formal caution.
It said the conduct involved the “deliberate misuse of highly sensitive personal information and an offer to disclose it for financial gain, representing a clear breach of trust”.
“We concluded that a caution was the appropriate and proportionate enforcement response,” the watchdog added.
‘Sad and isolated incident’
Ian Hulme, the executive director for regulatory supervision, said: “People should be able to trust that the personal information they’re giving to healthcare settings is safe and protected from exploitation.
“When this trust is broken, it’s right that the law allows us to take action. We will not hesitate to pursue criminal prosecution where it is necessary and proportionate to do so.”
A spokesman for The London Clinic said: “We all take considerable pride in delivering the very highest standards of care and discretion for every patient at The London Clinic.
“We are pleased our work with the ICO has brought this sad and isolated incident to a conclusion. There were no regulatory breaches by the hospital.”
The Princess is understood to have been informed of the development. The ICO has a responsibility to inform any patient involved in an alleged breach.
It is a criminal offence for any NHS or private healthcare staff to access the medical records of a patient without the consent of the organisation’s data controller.
If the ICO finds evidence that medical records were accessed illegally, it can bring a prosecution and fine any offenders in court as well as refer the matter to the police.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.telegraph.co.uk ’
