NHS Blood and Transplant is investigating a data breach that involved sending sensitive medical information about transplant patients over an unencrypted pager network. The issue came to light when the organization reported an incident to the Information Commissioner's Office, which has since launched an inquiry.
Details of patients, including addresses and medical information, were sent via pagers, raising concerns about data security. While the messages did not include patient names, the transmission of such sensitive data over an insecure channel is a violation of data protection laws, according to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Other ambulance services, including the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and the Northern Ambulance Service (NIAS), also used pagers for operational messages that could include patient details. NWAS has since fully withdrawn its pager usage, and NIAS has largely done so. Both services stated that patient names were not included in the transmitted messages.
The Department for Health and Social Care acknowledged efforts to replace outdated technology within the NHS, aiming to provide staff with secure digital tools for patient care. Health and social care in Northern Ireland is managed by the Department of Health NI, which has been approached for comment.