Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust exposed health data in FOIA spreadsheet
Original title: NHS breach helpline left staff carrying a 'significant emotional burden'
The exposure affected 8,003 people including staff and non-staff workers; a helpline ran for 11 weeks with significant emotional impact on handlers lacking preparation.
A member of the public discovered an Excel workbook uploaded to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust's FOIA disclosure log in 2023 that contained pivot tables with sensitive sickness absence records. The trust set up a helpline that ultimately operated for 11 weeks after being given only one day's notice, with staff handling distressed callers and safeguarding decisions. The review found inadequate sanitization steps, minimal training, and insufficient support for the contact center team.
Unconfirmed: Exact number of sensitive data accesses is unknown as logs include automated web crawlers
- Workbook exposed records for 7,715 staff and 288 non-trust workers
- Helpline ran for 11 weeks due to high call volume
- Staff received short training and had to maintain normal duties
- Trust implemented password protection for Excel workbooks in FOIA responses
Impact: Exposure of sensitive health and sickness absence data for ~8,000 individuals
- 1.Require password protection for all Excel workbooks in FOIA responses
- 2.Use Document Inspector and convert to PDF before publication
- 3.Appoint senior information governance officer to approve responses
- Products
- Excel workbook
- Countries
- United Kingdom
From the original article
5 min read at theregister.comTeam given a day's notice faced distressed callers, safeguarding decisions during project that stretched from 2 weeks to 11
By Connor Jones · theregister.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.