Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust under fire: Crudely-titled email sparks watchdog probe (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust under fire: Crudely-titled email sparks watchdog probe

11:00am Thursday 8th December 2011 in Health By Helen Perkins, Reporter

A GOVERNMENT watchdog has launched an investigation into an incident where midwives emailed an crudely-titled file with confidential patient details to an unknown party.

The Health Service Ombudsman plans to probe staff at Furness General Hospital over a breach of data protection.

Despite its confidential nature, an email by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust containing details of a baby’s death was sent to an inbox belonging to an unknown individual outside the trust.

Parents of baby Joshua Titcombe, who died in 2008 after midwives failed to diagnose a lung infection, said they were left ‘horrified and appalled’ after they found the email had been titled ‘NMC S***’. NMC is an acronym for the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Dalton father James Titcombe was shown the email in January and this week the National Health Service Ombudsman wrote to confirm that an investigation had been launched.

The government watchdog has agreed to look into whether the trust failed properly to disclose the nature of the email and if it failed to provide an open and accountable response to the family’s complaint.

Mr Titcombe said the trust had initially told his family that the incident involved a ‘purely professional email’.

“It was only after we were able to remove the red actions (parts where words have been blacked out) in the report that the true nature of this incident became clear,” said Mr Titcombe. “Losing Joshua in the circumstances we did has been unbearably hard.

“Joshua was a beautiful baby boy, a forever missed and much loved member of our family. His loss was easily preventable and has devastated our lives completely.

“It is incomprehensible to us how anyone involved in what happened could distribute a report about his death in an email titled ‘NMC S***.

“For me, the title of this email and the fact it was carelessly handled demonstrates a worrying culture. Staff haven’t acted professionally and management failed to respond to this incident in a proper and professional manner.”

Jackie Holt, UHMBT’s director of nursing and modernisation said: “At the time of the incident, we brought it to the attention of Mr and Mrs Titcombe and offered our sincere apologies for any additional distress caused. The matter was investigated and dealt with in accordance with internal disciplinary procedures. We have received a letter from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and will be co-operating fully with the proposed investigation.”