Healthcare staff data breach incidents on the rise

Healthcare staff data breach incidents appear to be on the rise following one recent study indicating that more than half of incidents stem from the actions of staff themselves.

The results of this particular research come as no surprise to us. Many of the data breach compensation claims we take forward involve the healthcare sector. On top of that, many of those cases have been caused because of the actions of staff themselves.

From leaks to snooping, and hacks to a lack of security when it comes to remote working, employees can be the weakest link. And to use the sentiment of an old adage: organisations really are only as strong as their weakest link.

Healthcare staff data breach can be serious

Organisations would do well to remember that Healthcare staff data breach incidents can be incredibly serious. They can’t just focus on making sure that servers are secure, and software is in place. The healthcare sector must recognise that it’s the employees themselves who can open the door to a data breach, and it can easily happen.

Staff can accidentally leak personal data through carelessness or a lack of processes and protections in place. An employee’s own equipment – like a PC or a phone – could be hacked, and that can then expose data from the organisation. Many of us now have our work emails on our phones, and remote working continues to grow in popularity. There are now far more gateways from criminals to break through, and crossover between personal and professional technology is increasing.

We also have the issue of healthcare staff snooping on data they have access to as well. This issue actually triggered a warning from the ICO after a spate of incidents have seen fines and prosecutions issued to employees.

Abuse of credentials and access can lead to a serious data protection breach incident, and we have taken forward a number of Healthcare staff data breach claims where this has happened.

What can you do as a victim of this kind of breach?

You may find yourself falling victim to a Healthcare staff data breach, and you may want to know what you can do about it.

The negligence of an employee often falls on to the employer, which is known as vicariously liability. If the organisation could have done more to prevent the actions of an employee, you can hold the organisation just as accountable.

When it comes to security and processes, you can see how the organisation is ultimately responsible.

The best thing to do is to contact our team for a free, no-obligation assessment. We can normally tell you right away if we think you have a valid claim for data breach compensation to make. If we can take a case forward for you, we can normally offer you a No Win, No Fee arrangement.

What have you got to lose?