MP warns nurses after claim of prying into Kate’s medical records
Posted 20 March 2024 - 14:00
Health minister cautions nurses about looking at patient notes after newspaper claims staff at London hospital tried to see Princess of Wales’s records
A government health minister has reminded nurses and other healthcare staff about the perils of looking at patient notes without clinical justification, in the wake of a reported Royal security breach.
Registered nurse and MP Maria Caulfield spoke out after a claim that a member of staff tried to access the notes of the Princess of Wales while she was a patient at a private hospital in London in January.
Ms Caulfield told LBC Radio that ‘the rules are very clear for all patients,’ and that there could be ‘hefty implications’ for anyone who breaches guidance.
Her warning comes after a report in the Daily Mirror that at least one member of staff tried to access Princess Catherine’s notes. The newspaper says an investigation has been launched by the London Clinic, where she underwent abdominal surgery at the beginning of the year.
MP says police have been asked to look into the claim
Ms Caulfield said: ‘I say this as someone who’s still on the nursing register, that the rules are very, very clear for all patients. That unless you’re looking after that patient, or unless they’ve given you their consent, you should not be looking at patients’ notes.
She said police had been asked to look into it, adding that in cases where there was a breach the Information Commissioner could levy fines, there could be prosecutions, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the nursing regulator, could take enforcement action – and nurses ‘can be struck off if the breach is serious enough.’
The NMC said it could not comment on individual cases but referred to section 5 of the Code, which states that nurses ‘owe a duty of confidentiality to all those who are receiving care.’
It also says nurses should ‘share necessary information with other health and care professionals and agencies only when the interests of patient safety and public protection override the need for confidentiality.’
Previous cases of nurses looking at records without justification have resulted in suspensions
Last month a school nurse was suspended from the NMC register for 12 months after looking up a pupil and their mother’s medical records without clinical justification.
In 2022 another nurse was suspended for six months after looking up family members and former neighbours without permission.
Ms Caulfield later told Sky News that it is ‘pretty serious stuff to be accessing notes that you don’t have permission to.’
‘You’re only allowed to access the patient notes you’re caring for, and with their permission, and there’s really strict rules.’
In a statement the London Clinic told the Daily Mirror: ‘We firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information.’
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