Health Trust Fined After Patient Files Stolen

The Belfast Health Trust has been fined £225,000 after patient records dating back to 1952 were found in a disused hospital.

The data security breach came to light last year when burglars stole records from the Belvoir Park Hospital site and posted some on the internet with a view to selling them.

The Information Commission imposed the fine, known as a Civil Monetary Penalty, due to the serious breach of the Data Protection Act.

Thousands of patients' records were left unsecured at the site after the hospital was closed in 2006.

They involved sensitive medical data including records, X-rays and test results, as well as 15,000 staff records including unopened payslips.

The trust apologised for the mishap and said it has learned lessons.

If it pays up early, it will receive a discount on the fine, making the cost £180,000.

Health Minister Edwin Poots said the fine was "deeply regrettable" but admitted the breach "should never have happened".

Belfast Health Trust took over responsibility for the closed Belvoir Park Hospital building in 2007 after a reorganisation.

But management failed to properly secure the building, leaving it open to vandalism and theft.

Dr Tony Stevens, medical director of the Trust, said staff thought the property had been "properly secured" by its former managers but following the theft of documents, 50 other empty buildings had been checked and confidential documents removed.

He apologised to people and families affected by the breach and said the documents in question have now been destroyed.

(NE)