University Hospital Southampton patient data published online
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An NHS data breach led to the online publication of patient information, specifically affecting individuals who utilized maternity services at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) from 2016 to 2019. The leaked information included a pivot table containing data of 42,000 lines, revealing home postcodes, dates of birth, and NHS numbers for certain appointment attendees during the specified period.
The breach, which occurred due to a Freedom of Information request on the website What Do They Know, resulted in the exposure of:
- names,
- addresses,
- dates of birth,
- other details.
The number of affected individuals is not declared, apart from stating that 112 patients' surnames were visible.
The data was posted in November 2020 and remained online until October 31, 2023. UHS has urged potentially impacted individuals to reach out to their data inquiry team for assistance.
UHS acknowledged the breach on November 1 and promptly reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. UHS confirmed that no clinical or medical records were accessible, except for a record of attendance at a maternity service appointment.
UHS has conducted a comprehensive investigation and found no evidence of the document existing elsewhere online, and they have implemented additional measures to secure all data in accordance with national guidelines.
