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StoryData breachhigh

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust exposed staff health data for years

2 sources · 2 articlesFirst reported Updated ()1
What's new

First merged summary.

Merged summary · x-ai/grok-4.7 · rewritten as coverage arrivesSummaries by Vani AI

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust's 2023 breach exposed sensitive health records of 7,715 staff and 288 others until November 2025, with a helpline causing emotional distress.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust admitted a February 2023 data breach when an Excel workbook containing pivot tables of sensitive sickness absence and health information for 7,715 staff and 288 non-trust workers was published in its FOIA disclosure log. The data remained publicly accessible until November 2025. A helpline handled inquiries for 11 weeks after one day's notice, leaving staff with significant emotional burden due to inadequate training and support. The incident incurred direct and indirect costs and raised UK GDPR compliance concerns.

Key facts
  • Exposed sensitive health data for 7,715 staff and 288 non-trust workers
  • Data remained public until November 2025
  • Helpline ran 11 weeks with minimal training
  • Staff experienced significant emotional distress
  • Implemented password protection for FOIA workbooks
  • Incured incident management and compliance costs
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Timeline

dated events in the reporting · oldest first
  1. Feb 1, 2023Excel workbook published in FOIA disclosure log · The Register
  2. Nov 1, 2025Data remained publicly accessible until November 2025 · DataBreaches.net
  3. Feb 1, 2023Helpline set up for 11 weeks · The Register

What each outlet adds

beyond the shared facts
  • DataBreaches.netReported long-term public access until November 2025 and associated costs
  • The RegisterDetailed helpline operations, staff emotional impact and password protection measures
Vendors
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Products
Excel workbook
Victims
Royal Cornwall Hospitals TrustRoyal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Countries
UKUnited Kingdom

Coverage

oldest first · one row per article · UTC
  1. · 6d ago DataBreaches.netFirst report

    Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust Data Breach Exposed Health Details of 7,715 Staff

    The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust admitted a data breach in February 2023 that exposed sensitive personal health information relating to 7,715 staff, which remained publicly accessible until November 2025.

  2. · 4d ago The Register · Security

    Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust exposed health data in FOIA spreadsheet

    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.