publicSIRO

North Devon NHS Healthcare Trust (NDHT) recorded 18 incidents of personal data loss during 2009,  according to information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

The incidents are said to include confidential patient files being left on a hospital car park machine, a theatre list found on a public footpath, the loss of a staff diary containing patient details, as well as instances of information being sent to the wrong address.

In a statement, NDHT said that none of the incidents involved electronically-held data and in all but three cases, the information lost had been subsequently recovered.

Further information.