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Freedom of Information site had Southampton hospital maternity patient data online for 3 years
It includes names, addresses and dates of birth of people who used University Hospital Southampton's UHS maternity services between 2016 and 2019.
The data was put on the website What Do They Know in November 2020 and removed on 31 October 2023, the NHS said.
...
The mistake occurred following a Freedom of Information request made by the website.
The UHS spokesperson said: “The information amounted to 42,000 lines of data and included a pivot table which, if manipulated, could reveal the home post code, date of birth and NHS number for attendees at certain appointments between 2016 and 2019."
The surnames of 112 patients were also visible but UHS assured patients "no clinical records or medical information could be accessed" other than a record of attendance at a maternity service appointment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2zy81j58yo
The data was put on the website What Do They Know in November 2020 and removed on 31 October 2023, the NHS said.
...
The mistake occurred following a Freedom of Information request made by the website.
The UHS spokesperson said: “The information amounted to 42,000 lines of data and included a pivot table which, if manipulated, could reveal the home post code, date of birth and NHS number for attendees at certain appointments between 2016 and 2019."
The surnames of 112 patients were also visible but UHS assured patients "no clinical records or medical information could be accessed" other than a record of attendance at a maternity service appointment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2zy81j58yo
WhatDoTheyKnow[4][5] is a site by mySociety designed to help people in the United Kingdom make Freedom of Information requests. It publishes both the requests and the authorities’ responses online, with the aim of making information available to all, and of removing the need for multiple people to make the same requests.[6][7][8][9] The site acts as a permanent public database archive of FOI requests made through it.[10][11]
Around 15% to 20% of requests to UK Central Government are made through WhatDoTheyKnow.com.[12][13] Over 45,000 public bodies have been added to the site, mainly by volunteers.[4] More than 800,000 requests have been made using the site[4] and more than 4.5 million people visited it in 2014[14]
WhatDoTheyKnow has been described by The Guardian as "an idiot's guide to making a freedom of information request."[15] The Information Commissioner's Office has stated that it believes "the most up-to-date informal list of all public authorities is held on the website".[16] Information released through the site has given rise to serious and less serious news stories.[17][18][19] The site is used by a number of MPs.[20]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatDoTheyKnow
Around 15% to 20% of requests to UK Central Government are made through WhatDoTheyKnow.com.[12][13] Over 45,000 public bodies have been added to the site, mainly by volunteers.[4] More than 800,000 requests have been made using the site[4] and more than 4.5 million people visited it in 2014[14]
WhatDoTheyKnow has been described by The Guardian as "an idiot's guide to making a freedom of information request."[15] The Information Commissioner's Office has stated that it believes "the most up-to-date informal list of all public authorities is held on the website".[16] Information released through the site has given rise to serious and less serious news stories.[17][18][19] The site is used by a number of MPs.[20]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatDoTheyKnow
WTF? 3 years, and the site and the hospital didn't realise?