Walsall woman has personal medical records stolen from physiotherapist's car

The 51-year-old woman, who does not wish to be named, received a letter from the trust revealing that her file had been stolen from the boot of a physiotherapist's car.

The file contained information such as her name, age, address, telephone number, NHS number and treatment information. It is unknown if this was the only medical file taken.

The woman said: "I received a letter from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and it says my file has been stolen from a car with all my personal details.

"First of all it did not really sink in but then I started to feel really uneasy that someone out there has all my information.

"I was in the dentist when it really started to dawn on me. There might have been more files in that car it might not have just been mine.

"There is nothing I can do now but it does upset me that someone has my details.

The full letter from the trust's principal physiotherapist John O'Regan, read: "I am sorry to have to inform you that your musculoskeletal clinical assessment service referral containing your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, ethnic origin, NHS number, clinical information regarding referral and treatment, and the name and address of your general practitioner has been stolen from a physiotherapist's car boot whilst parked.

"I have previously tried to contact you by telephone to make you aware of this incident personally.

"The police have been informed and we have reported ourselves to the Information Commissioner's Office and will fully cooperate with their investigation process.

"We are also completing an internal investigation into this information governance breach and will inform you of the outcome once completed.

"Should you have any questions or wish to discuss the matter further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

"I offer my sincere apologies for this incident."

Amir Khan, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust's Caldicott Guardian, said: "The trust would like to once again apologise to the patient concerned. We contacted her as soon as the theft came to light to explain what had happened and the action that was being taken and can assure her that this incident is being taken extremely seriously.

"Trust staff are aware of the Safe Haven Policy which covers the safe transfer of patient information. Following the theft, which has been reported to police, we have been working with staff to reiterate the processes that should be followed.

"In order to strengthen the Safe Haven Policy we have been meeting with community teams to identify what patient information they need to take out with them in order for them to be able to deliver safe and effective patient care. From these meetings we will agree the minimum amount of information that each team will carry and develop guidelines around that. This will be monitored.

"We have reported the incident to the Information Commissioner's Office and are continuing our own investigation."