Nosy healthcare workers - worrying trend?

Do you have a link to the midwife who gossiped?

A 'data co-ordinater' and 'healthcare assistant' are not HC professionals.

They are healthcare workers and they had access to patients' records.

I thought everyone is our NHS was overworked so how did they have time?

Good point, Nonnie. Usually its hard to find someone who knows anything about their actual patients.

There is a world of difference between being a regulated healthcare professional, who could be struck off for accessing patient records without authorisation, never mind then gossiping about it and someone who works in a health care setting who isn't regulated. They clearly face the sack as it must be gross misconduct but I'm not aware of any increase in HC professionals behaving like this.

And I don't think it was a midwife but a midwife assistant.

Apologies Riverwalk, I stand corrected; it was a healthcare assistant who was working in a midwifery department.

I think I find it especially troubling because it gives credence to those who worry about exactly this kind of thing happening. I live in a small town where lots of people know each other. I've had very many conversations with people, particularly older people who have moved here from large cities, who fear that their business will be gossiped about because, for example; their GP is married to the vicar, or their solicitor is in the local choir. I always tell them with confidence that the chances of this happening are infinitessimal, so I hope they don't read stories like this.

The receptionist at the doctors my dad was registered with phoned my aunt to offer her condolences when he died. The trouble was, she hadn't yet been informed by the family. That was 40 years ago, though.

Although it can happen - most people attempting this will be caught and sacked. The electronic online medical note systems record every access and who was logged in - many systems flag up if a person outside the treating medical team attempted to access notes

Many admin people in GP surgeries have access (and are required to access) patients information e.g. The person who prints the prescriptions, sends out referral letters etc. I worked in a GP practice for many years and there were some (a small minority) who did not treat patient records with respect. If I met an acquaintance in the street, knowing that I worked in a GP practice, they would often say to me "well you know I've been ill with ......". I made a point of not knowing. In my job I was required to read thousands of clinical letters. I read them as words on a page not as someone's life story and not taking notice of their name. I never wanted to know things about people I knew and I think the majority of NHS workers are the same BUT there will always be some who break the rules.

I was in the NHS all my working life, and such breaches of confidentiality are grounds for instant dismissal, although I only knew that happen once. Those who are regulated with professional bodies will also have to be disciplined by them.

There will always be a few bad apples but it seems that there are systems in place to root them out and consequences when they're caught.

Here we have proof that the system is working, but only after 14 years of this particular midwife breaching the rules on confidentiality.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41807717