Question
An issue that crops up regularly in Northern Ireland is the searching of the £400 million digital patient record system by healthcare staff, some 30 of whom have been able to gain access to information and data through the system. What discussions has the Minister had, or will she have, with the Northern Ireland Assembly—and, in particular, with the relevant Minister—to ensure that appropriate penalties are in place to deter healthcare staff from accessing confidential patient records without authorisation?
Answer
This issue is of grave concern to the Government, in England and Wales but more broadly across the United Kingdom. Anyone accessing records without the appropriate permission and level of security should be held accountable. As the hon. Gentleman will know, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill is in the other place, and although the new offence of misconduct in public office does not apply to frontline NHS workers, I have had conversations with the Health Secretary about how we can apply nuance in the case of people accessing records without permission. It causes immense distress to victims and bereaved families, and I will be sure to raise the matter with my counterparts across the United Kingdom.29% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply responds to the question only in general terms. It says the matter will be raised with counterparts across the United Kingdom and mentions conversations with the Health Secretary, but it never names the Northern Ireland Assembly or the Northern Ireland Minister and gives only a vague account of past engagement. A member of the public would probably need to ask again for specific details of the Northern Ireland engagement that was requested.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the nature of the Minister's engagement, past or planned, with the Northern Ireland Assembly and the relevant Northern Ireland Minister on ensuring that appropriate penalties deter healthcare staff from accessing confidential patient records without authorisation. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply commits to raising the matter with 'counterparts across the United Kingdom' (statement 7), which could include NI counterparts, and mentions conversations with the Health Secretary (statement 5), but it never names the Northern Ireland Assembly or the NI Minister and describes past engagement only vaguely, so the specific engagement asked about is not clearly answered. |