Woman given cancer diagnosis by hospital employee who accessed her records
A UK woman received a cancer diagnosis over the phone from a hospital employee who improperly accessed her medical records days before her scheduled appointment. The hospital trust apologized following media intervention, while health officials condemned recent data breaches.
Why it matters
Highlights critical vulnerabilities in patient data privacy and the psychological toll of institutional breaches within healthcare systems.
Image caption, Pippa Boardman was told she had cancer by a hospital worker, days before her scheduled appointment with a consultant
South West health correspondent Published 8 hours ago 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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