A woman learned she had cancer from a hospital employee she barely knew, who had accessed her medical records days before her scheduled consultation with a consultant.
Pippa Boardman, from Lostwithiel in Cornwall, said the data breach at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro stripped her of dignity and privacy.
The individual responsible was a man she knew only vaguely through a shared sport, who had accessed her personal information despite it falling outside his professional duties.
Boardman recounted receiving an unexpected call at home in which the man told her: “Pippa, I don’t want you to worry, but you’ve got cancer.” She said she simply could not believe what she was hearing.
Two days later, her consultant officially confirmed the breast cancer diagnosis.
Although Boardman is recovering well physically, she said the trust’s handling of the case compounded her trauma, noting that an apology was only issued after the BBC contacted the hospital for comment.
“It really distresses me people can’t see just how invasive and intrusive it is if somebody looks at your information and then shares it inappropriately,” she told the broadcaster.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust told the BBC it was “truly sorry” for what happened. The trust acknowledged that while the staff member had legitimate access to records as part of their work, contacting the patient was outside their role. “This should not have happened and we recognise the distress and concern it will have caused. Appropriate action was taken following our investigation, which was carried out immediately after Ms Boardman raised her concern,” the trust stated.