Woman told she had cancer by NHS worker who inappropriately accessed her records

A woman was told she had cancer by a hospital employee she barely knew who had accessed her medical records days before she was due to receive test results from her consultant.

Pippa Boardman said she lost her dignity and privacy through the data breach at the Royal Cornwall hospital in Truro.

Boardman, from Lostwithiel in Cornwall, said her personal information was accessed by a man she knew only vaguely who worked at the hospital.

She said: “I got a phone call at home from somebody I know through the sport that I play. This man said to me: ‘Pippa, I don’t want you to worry, but you’ve got cancer.’ I just couldn’t really believe it.”

Two days later, Boardman was told by her consultant she did have breast cancer.

Boardman, who is recovering well from the cancer, said Royal Cornwall’s handling of the case had reinforced her trauma, and she said the trust only apologised once it had been contacted by reporters at the BBC.

She told the BBC: “It really distresses me people can’t see just how invasive and intrusive it is if somebody looks at your information and then shares it inappropriately.”

The Royal Cornwall hospital trust has been contacted by the Guardian. It told the BBC it was “truly sorry” about what had happened to Boardman.

“Whilst the member of staff had legitimate access to her records as part of their work, it was outside of their role to contact her,” the trust told the broadcaster.

“This should not have happened and we recognise the distress and concern it will have caused. Appropriate action was taken following our investigation, which was carried out immediately after Ms Boardman raised her concern.”