Written answers
Tuesday, 21 November 2023
Department of Health
Patient Files
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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584. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware of the release on social media of videos that show patients' medical records and files stored in unsecured premises at a hospital (details supplied); to confirm that none of the medical records that are being stored there have been stolen or removed after the recent intrusion; what security measures the hospital has deployed at the site where the records were held to protect the medical records; the procedures needed for storing patient medical records; if Letterkenny University Hospital has an inventory of all the medical records that have been stored there; and if the hospital has plans to upgrade security or plans to move the files stored there to a more secure facility. [51116/23]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Officials in my Department have been in contact with HSE who advised that historical patient files which date back several decades and which were stored in a locked facility in a HSE building was illegally accessed. Gardaí have been alerted to this incident and spent a number of hours at the scene and are now investigating the incident.
The building was reviewed by local HSE management on Tuesday morning, 14th November, and additional measures were fitted to further secure the building.
This incident has also been reported to the Data Protection Commissioner in accordance with legislation.
In parallel, a review of the requirement to continue to store historical records in line with HSE policy on record retention periods will be completed as soon as possible.
And as this is also a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
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