The details of 189 NHS walk-in centre patients could have been leaked as part of a data breach linked to a worker whose daughter was recently killed.
NHS Bury has written to the patients to warn them their records could have been passed on to third parties.
The source was said to be Dawn Makin, 33, who was found unconscious beside the body of her daughter, Chloe, four.
The Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) is now taking legal action against the alleged recipient.
No action is being taken against Ms Makin, who remains in hospital three months on from the killing, because it was not considered to be in the public interest.
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The inquiry into the confidential data breach centred on people visiting Prestwich or Moorgate Primary Care Centre over four-months in 2010.
An NHS investigation found that some patient records were “inappropriately accessed and their contact details passed to a third party”.
Read more of this story on BBC. There does not appear to be any statement on NHS Bury’s web site.
Alice McKeegan of The Manchester Evening News provides some additional and helpful details:
Dozens of patients have been warned their details might have been passed to personal injury solicitors as part of an alleged security breach linked to a former nurse suspected of killing her daughter.
Chiefs at NHS Bury have written to 189 people telling them that their confidential data could have been illegally accessed and given to ‘blame and claim’ lawyers.
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They have sent letters to patients whose details they believe could have been leaked to accident solicitors and chiefs have apologised to them.
The letter, signed by managing director John Boyington CBE, said it is believed that the data was accessed over a four-month period last year.
According to their coverage, the February incident is thought to be a murder-suicide attempt by the former employee, who had been fired and was under investigation at the time for passing along patient details.