Elaine Edwards reports in the Irish Times:
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has apologised and has contacted the Data Protection Commissioner after a number of letters sent to patients in the northeast in relation to a review of health tests were sent to the wrong addresses.
Some 4,500 patients’ X-rays or CT scans are being reviewed after concerns were raised several months ago about the practice of a locum consultant radiologist who worked in Drogheda and Navan hospitals from August 2006 to August 2007.
Letters were posted on Wednesday from the hospitals to all of the patients involved, advising them that their chest X-ray or CT scan is being reviewed as part of a “look-back”, the HSE said.
[…]
“The HSE has learned today that a small number of letters have been misaddressed by the company who undertook this work on our behalf. The HSE is deeply disappointed at this failure to protect this very sensitive information and is in discussions with the company concerned in this regard,” a HSE statement said.
“We have arranged for the correct information to be resent to all patients this afternoon and our staff are arranging to collect and retrieve information that was misaddressed. We have also notified the Data Protection Commissioner.”
Full story – Irish Times