Investigation into Tullamore Hospital data breach

An investigation is currently being conducted by the HSE into a very serious data breach at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore which saw the private information of a patient being faxed in error directly to the office of the Data Commissioner.

The private medical information was, in fact, intended for the patient's GP, but ended up on the desk of the Data Protection Commissioner instead. The data breach at Tullamore Hospital was just one of 212 such incidents recorded by the HSE last year, and revealed in the latest report from the Data Protection Commissioners office.

The major blunder which took place in Tullamore was just one of many highlighted, among them being an incident in Drogheda where the files of a patient were scattered by the wind as a staff member was carrying them between two buildings on the grounds of the hospital.

Two of the pages were never recovered.