DHB employee stood down after files misplaced

Angry patients whose private medical information was apparently ‘‘accidentally dropped’’ in a Christchurch suburb are frustrated by the lack of answers about whether they have missed out on treatment as a result.

More patients have come forward since Stuff reported the potential breach, saying they had received apologies, but struggled to get information out of the Canterbury West Coast District Health Board (DHB).

‘‘Anyone could have our files, know our addresses, medications we are taking . . . that’s scary,’’ said West Coast woman Andrea Bowden, one of more than 300 people affected by the potential privacy breach.

Meanwhile, the health board staff member accused of misplacing the files, who has been stood down pending the outcome of a ‘‘serious’’ employment investigation, claims the allegations are ‘‘b ...... ’’, according to her father. ‘‘If you print anything we will sue you,’’ he said.

The DHB became aware of the ‘‘potential privacy breach’’ when a member of the public found some of the documents in Hornby on February 11. The DHB said the staff member ‘‘misplaced’’ 40 pages of West Coast patients’ medical information – some of which are still missing. One letter sent to an affected patient said she ‘‘accidentally dropped’’ them in the suburb that day.

The documents contained 300 people’s names and health numbers, and at least 15 patients’ private health information such as clinical notes. One affected patient said she was told her medical notes had ‘‘blown away in a gust of wind’’.

Bowden received a letter from the DHB on February 25 to say her referral letter was among those missing. She emailed asking for more information, but had not received anything back.

She was upset the DHB had not called a meeting to answer patient questions.

‘‘I had had exploratory surgery round, or just before, the notes were misplaced. All they said was not to worry the papers probably have been found and destroyed. I have asked in my email to them what the specialist referral is for. The question is – am I supposed to be seeing a specialist or not? It’s rather worrying.’’

An affected man, who did not want to be identified, said he was told the woman had been stood down.

The man, who declined to be named, said he and his wife were both waiting for orthopaedic surgery, and were told by the DHB their information had gone missing with the ‘‘misplaced’’ documents.

‘‘We are both waiting to see surgeons, but our referrals were not getting through. The person involved . . . stopped all of the referrals getting through,’’ he said.

‘‘I’ve been waiting for knee surgery for two years. My doctor has been sending referrals to get seen but nothing was happening. I spoke to a lady at the hospital and she told me they hadn’t received anything.’’

Greymouth woman Sue Moore had been waiting for the results of an urgent scan and was extremely frustrated and angry with the DHB for misplacing her files. She said a DHB staffer told her on the phone her clinical notes had ‘‘blown away in a gust of wind’’.

DHB chief executive David Meates yesterday said the missing pages were not original clinical notes, but still declined to say whether the bungle meant patients had delayed treatments or appointments.

He instead celebrated the ‘‘very good news’’ that another member of the public came forward after the privacy breach became public, saying they found 20 of the missing pages in Hornby on February 11 and disposed of them.

Meates said in an earlier statement the issue was of ‘‘significant concern’’.