NHS Digital data breach three-year anniversary

In July, it was three years since the NHS Digital data breach was first reported. This was a wide-reaching data protection incident in which tens of thousands of people had their personal information misused. NHS Digital was found to have caused personal data misuse after a system error denied patients the ability to choose how their information was processed and used.

Every patient should be able to exercise control over the use of their confidential health information, so the NHS Digital data incident represents a significant breach of patients’ data protection rights. It is for this reason that many patients affected by the incident could be eligible to claim compensation, and we are working on behalf of victims on a No Win, No Fee basis.

We began to offer advice to potential claimants soon after the breach was reported, and we will continue to help as many victims as we can. However, given that three years have passed, claims may be different for anyone only just bringing one now, and further dates can prevent more victims from making a claim. As we often say, it is important that you seek advice as soon as possible if you were affected.

The NHS Digital opt-out error

In July 2018, it was revealed that NHS Digital had breached the data protection rights of around 150,000 patients in England, after the system used to record patients’ opt-out decisions was found to have an error. These patients had chosen to opt-out of the use of their data for any reasons outside their own healthcare, but the software error meant that their information could have been transferred for use in research and auditing against their specific wishes.

Although the information was not exposed online or made vulnerable to misuse by cybercriminals, the NHS Digital data breach would likely still have been a cause for concern for many victims, who may have felt their wishes – and their rights – had been violated.

Compensation claims for victims of medical data breaches

Unfortunately, we have observed countless data breaches caused by healthcare organisations in our many years of pursuing data breach claims. The NHS Digital incident is, therefore, only one data breach in a long line of others.

While it can be impossible to reverse the harmful impact of medical data breaches, it can be possible to recover compensation for the effects such breaches can have on the victims. When claiming for the NHS Digital data breach, claimants could be eligible to receive compensation for any distress they have suffered due to the incident, with compensation values potentially increasing for those who have sustained a recognised psychological injury.

Make your compensation claim with The Group Action Lawyers

As specialists in group actions and data breach claims, we have many years of experience in holding huge companies and organisations to account for data protection breaches. It is important to us that as many people as possible have the chance to recover the compensation they deserve for the difficulties they have suffered, which is why we can offer No Win, No Fee representation to eligible claimants. By offering this when people are claiming with us, we are helping to uphold access to justice.

To receive free, no-obligation advice on your data breach claim, contact our team today or register your details for a call-back.