SUHT commits to data security

Posted by Jessie Richards

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust (SUHT) has made a formal commitment to improve data security after losing thousands of patients' records.

In October last year, a computer was stolen from an unlocked and unattended retinal screening van and held a range of personal records, including details about patients' test results.

Information stored on the laptop was unencrypted and can be accessed by anyone who hacks the computer's basic password protection system.

Sally-Anne Poole, the head of investigations at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), said: "Storing large volumes of personal information on portable devices is unnecessarily risky."

Mark Hackett, chief executive of the SUHT, agreed to a range of conditions set by the ICO, such as using encryption software on any mobile devices which hold patients' information.

In addition, the trust will implement physical security measures to prevent hardware from being stolen at its sites, especially devices used in mobile clinics, while staff will have to be trained in how to follow the organisation's policy on data security.