Data-breach NHS worker told woman she had cancer
A hospital worker in Cornwall accessed Pippa Boardman's medical records and called her at home to tell her she had cancer before her consultant appointment. Boardman criticized the hospital's handling of the data breach and lack of early accountability.
Why it matters
Underscores severe lapses in medical data security and the emotional toll unauthorized disclosures take on patients.
Pippa Boardman was told she had cancer by a hospital worker, days before her scheduled appointment with a consultant [BBC] A woman was told she had cancer by a hospital employee who accessed her record days before she was due to receive test results from her consultant.
Pippa Boardman, from Lostwithiel in Cornwall, said she had lost her dignity and privacy through the data breach at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. She said she did not receive an apology from the hospital until it was contacted by the BBC.
The trust said it was "truly sorry" and "appropriate action had been taken".
It added: "While we cannot disclose the details of individual employment matters, we want to reassure Ms Boardman that we have treated this extremely seriously."
Also covering this story
2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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