Confidential data from Derriford Hospital has been lost or stolen 17 times during the past two years, health chiefs have admitted.
The theft of seven hospital laptops, patient blood results being sent to the wrong address and members of the public accessing sensitive files are among data problems recorded since January 2007.
The hospital revealed the list following a Freedom of Information Act request.
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages Derriford and the Royal Eye Infirmary, said confidentiality is one of its highest priorities and it has clear policies to protect information.
[…]
As recently reported, other hospitals in Devon and Cornwall have admitted data loss problems.
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital reported 25 incidents during the past three years while North Devon District Hospital listed 38 in all.
While The Royal Cornwall Hospital, at Truro, reported only one event, it had major ramifications. In May 2007, an inadequately protected laptop computer was stolen from NHS premises in Truro. It contained data of 10,000 employees of the hospital, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust, and Cornwall Partnership Trust.
Read more in The Herald
At least all of the seven laptops that were stolen were encrypted. Here in the U.S., what are the odds that seven laptops stolen are all encrypted? Slim to zilch….