ALLEGED PRIVATE FILES LEAK

Church’s community care organisation accuses sacked worker of medical information breaches

A SACKED community care worker is being sued for damages by her former Far North employer after she allegedly sent patient medical records and other sensitive material to her private email addresses in a security breach.

The Kurrimine Beach woman, who the Cairns Post has chosen not to name, is accused of forwarding 123 emails between her work and private emails while working for St John’s Community Care for almost two years as a client service planner and administrator.

According to documents submitted to the Cairns Supreme Court her employment was terminated in February.

The non-profit community group, which provides care services to elderly and disadvantaged people, has begun legal action, suing for damages and asking for her to be banned from using or disclosing the details and to destroy them.

According to the documents, the woman sent by email client medical information and contact details, staff records, incident reports and meeting minutes.

“Many are still current clients,” the documents alleged. “Many are still current staff. “Following the termination of the defendant’s employment, the defendant has continued to keep a copy of the information.

“It was an express term of the said contract of employment … that the defendant would not … (either during or after the contract finished) disclose or use in any manner other than in the course of her employment, and for the purposes of (St John’s) business, any confidential information related to the … business.”

In the documents the organisation alleged the woman breached her duties by sending, or causing to be sent or received, their confidential information to three different private email addresses.

It said during the course of her work she allegedly came into possession of client information, including medical records, contact details, planning records and other documentation “of a personal nature”. She also allegedly had access to records relating to the operation of the business, staff contact details and personal staff information.

A legal representative for St John’s Community Care, which is described as an activity of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, said there was no comment as the matter was before court.

The woman is yet to file any documents in court and a court date is yet to be set.