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Medical Records Found in Turf Shed!
2 Sep
Summary
- Health service fined record amount for storing medical records improperly.
- Records were found in disused bathrooms, turf sheds, and mouldy buildings.
- Data Protection Commission ordered a full audit of storage facilities.
Ireland's public health service operator has been issued a record fine of €645,000 for severe data mismanagement. The Health Service Executive (HSE) was found to be storing sensitive medical records in profoundly disorganized and neglected conditions across twelve different sites.
Inspections revealed records kept in disused bathrooms, shipping containers within turf sheds, and derelict buildings lacking essential facilities. Many documents were contaminated by animal droppings, damaged by mould, or rotting, compromising the integrity and security of patient data.
The Data Protection Commission mandated a complete audit of all storage locations, requiring the HSE to remove records from unsuitable units and implement a proper management system. This follows a previous €65,000 fine in 2020 for similar data handling failures.
