The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued a reprimand to NHS Lanarkshire, following staff’s unauthorised use of WhatsApp to share patients’ personal data over the course of two years.

Between April 2020 and April 2022, 26 staff at NHS Lanarkshire had access to a WhatsApp group where patient data were entered on more than 500 occasions, including names, phone numbers and addresses.

While it was made available for communicating basic information only at the start of the pandemic, WhatsApp was not approved by NHS Lanarkshire for processing patient data and was adopted by these staff without the organisation’s knowledge. A non-staff member was also added to the WhatsApp group in error, resulting in the inappropriate disclosure of personal information to an unauthorised individual.

Once NHS Lanarkshire became aware, it reported the incident to the ICO.

The ICO recommended a number of measures, including:

  • Establishing a secure clinical image transfer system as part of the health body’s exploration regarding the storage of images and videos within a care setting.
  • Before deploying new apps, the health body should consider risks relating to personal data and include the requirement to assess and mitigate these risks in any approval process.
  • Patient data is highly sensitive information that must be handled carefully and securely. Organisations must have the appropriate policies, clear guidance and processes in place when using messaging apps and processing information about patients.

For further discussion and support, including data protection awareness training services please email dpa@tiaa.co.uk