Parents at a Dundee school are “furious” after an NHS worker lost documents containing personal information about primary one pupils.
Details including names, dates of birth and even the weight and height of children at Eastern Primary School in Broughty Ferry were included in the paperwork.
The documents were lost on Wednesday by a member of NHS Tayside staff while they were taking height and weight measurements of P1 pupils during a BMI (body mass index) review.
Health bosses said in a letter to parents that an “extensive search was undertaken but the paperwork was not recovered”.
Dad ‘furious and shocked’ by NHS Tayside data breach at Eastern Primary
One dad, whose child goes to Eastern Primary School, wants to know how the information can be lost so easily.
The dad, who did not want to be identified, said: “We are furious and shocked that this has been allowed to happen.
“It is very concerning that personal details involving our child can just disappear.
“We want to know how this can be allowed to happen.
“We would also like to know where they have gone – we would hate to think they are lying around somewhere where anyone could access them.
‘We lay the blame squarely with NHS Tayside’
“We lay the blame for this squarely with NHS Tayside and do not blame the school, who have always shown great care in any dealings with our child.”
The letter from NHS Tayside said the P1 BMI team “has been instructed to ensure that paperwork is securely transported in accordance with NHS Tayside health records management policy… to prevent recurrence”.
It added: “NHS Tayside wishes to apologise to you for this breach and assure you that we take the security of your child’s personal data very seriously.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “The incident was reported in line with appropriate information governance procedures and we have written to parents to apologise and advise them of further actions they may wish to take, including contacting our schools team or our data protection officer for further advice or support.
“NHS Tayside takes the security of information very seriously and the relevant information governance and data protection policies and procedures have been reiterated to staff in the team.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “We have been informed of a data breach by NHS Tayside and have worked with them to inform parents and carers.”
It is at least the fourth significant data breach involving NHS Tayside since August.
NHS Tayside staff were said to be “raging” when their information was mistakenly shared with staff in the corporate equalities team.
The following month, the health board had another case of missing documents when paperwork relating to hundreds of patients was lost.
And in January, a woman told The Courier how she was “devastated” after a Ninewells Hospital worker twice snooped on her records.
Conversation