Snooping on records ‘worrying trend, not just isolated incidents’

High-profile cases of staff snooping on patients’ health records, as most recently exposed by HSJ, have revealed “a worrying trend” across the NHS rather than just isolated incidences, a watchdog chief has warned.

The Information Commissioner’s Office boss made the remarks in a 700-word blog posted just hours after HSJ revealed more than 1,400 reports of “unauthorised access” to patient data had been reported to the ICO since 2019.

Paul Arnold wrote in the blog: “Recent high-profile cases point not to isolated incidents but to a worrying trend that requires a serious response across the healthcare sector.”

“I believe this is primarily a cultural challenge. When a local incident becomes national news – a serious crime, a public tragedy, a story that captures widespread attention – there is an increased risk that healthcare staff could be tempted to look at records they have no reason to view.”

He urged healthcare leaders to “ask yourself honestly whether your organisation is doing enough to prevent unauthorised access before it happens” and to remind staff of the importance of patient confidentiality when a high-profile incident happens.

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Source: HSJ, 24 June 2026