Discretion is key

Background 
An individual was concerned that a healthcare provider was confirming patient contact details loudly in front of other patients at the reception desk. The ODPA contacted the organisation’s Data Protection Officer to convey the individual’s concern.

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) took the concern with the utmost seriousness and assured that they would reiterate to relevant staff, as per their data protection training, the requirement to confirm patient contact details discreetly.

Learning points

• This case is a reminder that discretion is particularly important in healthcare settings, regardless of how innocuous the data being read out may be. Staff who work in healthcare organisations every day can be forgiven for forgetting how sensitive their patients may be about just being present in their clinic, without staff loudly announcing information about them. Again, within a small community like the Bailiwick, staff need to be particularly sensitive to this.
• The DPO involved understood this point implicitly, and responded with decency. This points to their understanding of the data protection principle of accountability.