How safe is your data?

I don't know about you, but I often worry about all the information held about me by various organisations. You always hope that the confidentiality policies and clauses will be backed up by the management and those who break them will be disciplined. Have you ever thought what would happen if someone passed on information about you when they should not?
What happens when you complain? What if they told your friend with no witnesses? What about the damage to your life as a result?

Say a staff member where you used to work tells your friend an exaggerated story about the circumstances surrounding you leaving work work and you had signed a confidentiality agreement when you left - no one was to tell anyone about any of it. Well, if there are no witnesses, I have found they will do nothing if the staff member denies doing it, even if the information could not have been known by your friend any other way. If they exaggerate a bit, then it is put down to idle gossip and they take no responsibility at all. Also, it matters not if they tell more than one person. Even if they both say they have been told the same thing by the same person, if they deny it they get away with it.

I used to work for the NHS and this happened to me. If they treat their ex-employees this way, how will they treat your confidential information? Perhaps you already know, why not leave a comment. Have you had any good or bad experiences with confidentiality or medical records?

Do you think complaints procedures should be tightened up so they can give people justice instead of promising the earth and delivering nothing?

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