I complained to the healthcare provider which is currently contracted to perform certain NHS operations about the breach of confidentiality.  Below is part of the reply I received:

” . . . I can confirm that no one at [. . . . .] has ever had access to any of your counselling notes.  The medical records we have are only in relation to the consultation and treatment for your foot.  . . . We hold a tracker of any NHS notes requested from [NHS healthcare provider’s name] and this demonstrates that your NHS notes have never been ordered from them.”

In the telephone conversation which preceded this letter, the Director of this healthcare provider  told me that no employees had been moved or dismissed for giving a copy of my counselling notes to a relative of mine.

She also stated that employees of the organisation did not have access to NHS patient records: they only have access to the organisation’s own medical records which in my case related to my foot operation.  She repeatedly referred to the hard copies of my medical notes and ignored my statements that I was talking about the computerised medical notes.  Eventually, she said that employees did not have access to these either.

Now, I am not medically trained, but this seems to be highly dangerous to me. Logically, medics need access to a patient’s full health records to check for pre-existing conditions, drugs prescribed and potential risks to the patient from receiving an anaesthetic and surgery.

I feel that, for the sake of the health and safety of people in my locality, this is something which I need to complain about to the Secretary of State for Health.  My local member of parliament may also want to know about it.  NHS (and private) patients seem to me to be at serious risk from such practices.  I will therefore be sending a copy of the Director’s letter to these politicians together with my statement about the breach of  confidentiality and my concerns about the lack of access to NHS records.

I also feel it would be wise to send copies to writers who specialise in healthcare matters so that they can comment on the level of danger to patients.  I will be distributing the letter over the next few days.

In the meantime, I will also be gathering statements so that I can prepare the court documents.