I was saddened to read your piece (Warnings over NHS data privacy after ‘stalker’ doctor shares woman’s records, 14 May). When I moved to the UK from South Africa as a single, young woman, my application for a national insurance number was copied by the clerk who handled my forms. He had my work and home address and telephone numbers in the UK, and knew from the intake interview that I moved to London by myself and knew no one. This was the mid-1990s, before email and mobile phones were widespread, and moving abroad alone was a big deal.
He started to call me at work and at home, and soon his behaviour escalated, with him turning up at work and outside my house at all hours. Stalking was not a crime at the time and the police refused to act. I ended up confronting him in a pub, flanked by two newfound friends, and the bouncer came to my rescue when I poured a beer over him. Luckily this was the end of my ordeal, but I have often wondered how many women he preyed on.
It saddens me to learn that potentially vulnerable people (children in the asylum process, anyone with NHS records) are still at risk of this kind of abuse. Thankfully, stalking is now a crime, but how many people – especially those less able to advocate for themselves – are still facing abuse or just fall through the cracks as “missing persons”?
In an age when our data increasingly amounts to our lives, we have to take better care of who can access what. I am sure this is the tip of the iceberg.
Madelein Smit
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
I am an out-of-hours GP and I am, of course, appalled by this report. It is difficult, if not impossible, to ensure that malicious use can never be made of NHS records, and at the same time ensure that adequate access is available when urgently needed.
But such malicious use is unforgivable, and will cause extensive harm to other patients and colleagues in the health service too. In my view, there is only one acceptable disciplinary action for the doctor concerned, and that is permanent erasure from the medical register.
Dr Mary Gibbs
Manchester