RCHT employee record data breach

We have contacted current and former employees regarding a data breach. We want to reassure our community that no patient data or financial information has been compromised.

The breach occurred when an editable spreadsheet containing staff data was inadvertently disclosed as part of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. It involved sickness absence records between April 2020 and May 2023.

All individuals directly impacted have been contacted at their last known address and provided with guidance and support. Anyone who has not received a letter but thinks they may have been affected can contact us at: rch.igincidents@nhs.net.

We know that any data breach can cause concern. We want to reassure people that we have acted swiftly to contain the issue and strengthen our safeguards.

Immediate measures taken include:

• Reporting the incident to Information Commissioner’s Office.
• Removal of the spreadsheet from our disclosure log and temporary suspension of the log while a full review is conducted.
• A new process is in place to ensure all electronic spreadsheet files are fully disabled before any FOI disclosure.
• Introduction of additional checks to reinforce data handling procedures.

We take the security of personal information extremely seriously. This incident has reinforced our commitment to learning and improving our processes to maintain the highest standards of data protection.

We thank our staff and community for their continued trust and support as we work diligently to safeguard information.