The London Clinic has said there is “no place” at its hospital for those who “intentionally” breach the trust of its patients or colleagues and said it would investigate any breach.
The clinic released the statement following reports in The Mirror about a potential privacy breach of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales’ medical records at the London Clinic when she was a patient there in January.
However, it’s statement did not directly reference the Princess of Wales or her situation.
According to The Mirror, at least one member of staff was caught trying to access her medical notes.
In a statement released to Health & Protection, London Clinic CEO Al Russell made no direct reference to the Princess of Wales and said everyone at The London Clinic is “acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality”.
“We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day,” Russell continued.
“We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken.
“There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.”
But health minister Maria Caulfield told radio station LBC the rules on accessing patient information were “very, very clear”.
“Unless you’re looking after that patient, or unless they’ve given you their consent, you should not be looking at patients’ notes,” she told LBC.
She further warned that any potential suspects could face criminal prosecution.
Meanwhile the Information Commissioner’s Office confirmed in a statement that it had received a breach report and was assessing the information provided.