Medical notes of JR patients found on a bus (From The Oxford Times)

Medical notes of JR patients found on a bus

9:30am Thursday 4th October 2012 in News

THE private treatment details of patients under the care of an Oxford hospital have been found on a bus.

The notes of 23 John Radcliffe Hospital patients were found loose on an Oxford Tube bus, which travels between the city and London.

It included names, dates of birth, hospital numbers, symptoms, abbreviated medical conditions and tests or treatments required.

Last night the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUH), which runs the hospital, said it was treating the incident ‘extremely seriously’.

A spokesman added: “Patient confidentiality is an absolute priority for the trust. Any loss of patient information is taken extremely seriously and fully investigated.

“We apologise for this breach of confidentiality and will be contacting each of the patients as matter of urgency to notify them.

“The Trust has very clear policies and procedures in place supported by staff training and we would like to reassure our patients that every effort is made to ensure patient confidentiality at all times.”

It is not clear when the paperwork was found but it was handed back to the trust yesterday.