by Louise Doyle
A MARRIAGE certificate containing personal information issued in error in Letterkenny to a third party was one of 78 data breaches recorded by the HSE over a 15-month period.
Information released to the Donegal News under the Freedom of Information Act reveals 19 data breaches were recorded between January to March this year.
Fifty-nine data breaches occurred in Donegal HSE in 2023.
Of the data breaches this year, eight related to Letterkenny University Hospital, while five data breaches were recorded from both CHO1 Primary Care and CHO1 Mental Health departments. One breach occurred in CHO1 Health and Wellbeing.
Among the breaches this year, a document containing personal and health data of service users was discovered by a staff member on the Gynaecology Ward of the hospital.
In the maternity department of LUH, personal details of an employee were inadvertently shared with a third party via a postal correspondence. Elsewhere, in the Radiology Department, a patient identifier label was issued to the incorrect service user in error.
Meanwhile, in CHO 1 Mental Health, within the location of National Counselling Service in Donegal, an appointment letter containing personal and health data of a service user was inadvertently posted to a third party.
A further data breach occurred within the department of Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) when an email containing personal and health data of a service user was inadvertently sent to a third party.
Elsewhere, a discharge summary containing personal and health data of a of a service user was inadvertently sent to an incorrect GP in error.
The data breach occurred at St Joseph’s Community Hospital within the Department of CHO 1 Primary Care.
Of the 59 data breaches recorded in Donegal in 2023, 29 occurred in LUH. in one incident, a secure records storage location was broken and a member of the public released a recorded video on social media of the storage area.
In the Gynaecology Ward, a doctor discussed the treatment of a patient with a family member without the consent of the patient.
Another breach occurred in the Medical Department when a staff member’s time sheet was discovered by a member of the public on the hospital grounds and was subsequently handed into the manager’s office.
In the colposcopy department of LUH, appointment letters were inadvertently issued to incorrect patients.
In CHO1 Disabilities, a staff member posted a video on social media which contained footage of a service user who had not provided consent to display their image.
A further data breach occurred in CHO1 Primary Care when a workplace risk assessment containing personal information of a staff member to incorrect HSE employee in error.
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