5 laptops stolen from HSE this year

FIVE laptops have been stolen from the Health Service Executive since the beginning of this year, the Irish Examiner has learned.

Confidential details of patients with lung disease, patients’ surgery, their diagnoses, treatment and other personal details were contained on some of the stolen laptops.

None of the five laptops were encrypted.

Health chiefs are to begin notifying patients and clients over the coming days about missing data on two of the laptops, more than two months after they were stolen. These two laptops were taken together in July this year in a HSE office in Mullingar.

It is believed the equipment was stolen from office cabinets, along with a number of USB keys.

Both laptops contained personal patient details.

The data on the laptops included some name and contact details for patients involved with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outreach service, as well as names, dates of birth and diagnosis and/or treatment details of a small number of surgical patients.

It is believed that details of nearly 300 clients and patients were on the laptops altogether.

The HSE intends contacting those affected in the coming days.

“The HSE is now finalising the collation of all contact details for those clients involved.

“We will be making direct contact with these individuals over the coming days.

“We will outline what has occurred, what information was contained on the laptops and apologise for the concern this will have caused the individual.

“We will also provide a HSE representative who will address any concerns they may have,” a HSE press office statement read.

Both gardaí and the Data Protection Commissioner were contacted after the laptops were stolen in July this year.

The second and third laptops stolen did not contain identifying information in relation to patients or clients, the HSE said.

As a result, no contact was made with the offices of the Data Protection Commissioner.

Health chiefs last night would not reveal where or when the third and fourth laptops were stolen.

A fifth laptop, along with a data disc, was stolen from the private residence of a senior health staff member in September.

It emerged last week the information on the equipment included details of 1,150 healthcare workers and an influenza vaccine for them.

Electronic forms signed by the healthcare workers included names, addresses, dates of birth, contact telephone numbers, GP names and occupational details.

The HSE says there are plans in place to have all devices encrypted by the end of this month.

A statement added: “The HSE is committed to ensuring the protection of personal and sensitive data that is held on its personally held technological devices.

“We initiated the process of encrypting all devices last year. We have prioritised the encryption of all devices that contain personal and medically sensitive data.”