An employee of the Child Support Agency having

An employee of the Child Support Agency, having read what he believed to be an inaccurate press article derogatory of the CSA and concerning a CSA client known to him, decided to set the record straight by faxing the true story to the newspaper concerned. Whilst the fax was sent anonymously, an investigation identified him as the author. He was dismissed from his employment and convicted of unlawful disclosure of personal data.

The complainant who was employed by a hospital was summoned to the office of his Personnel Manager to discuss his sickness record. The Personnel Manager had accessed the hospital’s clinical computer information system in order to challenge certain aspects of the employee’s account of events. As a result of this complaint the hospital revised its security arrangements and the Personnel Manager incurred disciplinary action as a result of the inappropriate use of confidential clinical information for non-medical purposes.

The complainant visited his local hospital for a course of physiotherapy. Some months after therapy was complete the complainant received a letter from the physiotherapist who had since set up her own business. The physiotherapist had used the complainant’s information that had originally been given in confidence to the hospitals for the earlier treatment.