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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Privacy fear over NHS card loss | Privacy fear over NHS card loss |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Thousands of NHS computer "smartcards" used to give access to confidential patient records have gone missing. | Thousands of NHS computer "smartcards" used to give access to confidential patient records have gone missing. |
| GP magazine Pulse, which reported the loss, said its survey of NHS bodies suggested the figure could be as high as 6,000. | GP magazine Pulse, which reported the loss, said its survey of NHS bodies suggested the figure could be as high as 6,000. |
| Connecting for Health, in charge of NHS computer systems, said 4,147 were unaccounted for - but insisted that they were useless without PIN numbers. | Connecting for Health, in charge of NHS computer systems, said 4,147 were unaccounted for - but insisted that they were useless without PIN numbers. |
| As many as 1.2 million cards will eventually be issued to NHS staff. | As many as 1.2 million cards will eventually be issued to NHS staff. |
| You can't expect stuff to remain confidential if a few hundred thousand people have access Professor Ross AndersonCambridge University The government is trying to create an NHS-wide computer system allowing medical records to be available across the country at the touch of a button. | You can't expect stuff to remain confidential if a few hundred thousand people have access Professor Ross AndersonCambridge University The government is trying to create an NHS-wide computer system allowing medical records to be available across the country at the touch of a button. |
| This has prompted fears that personal data could be vulnerable, despite security measures. | This has prompted fears that personal data could be vulnerable, despite security measures. |
| Any member of staff wanting to access the new system would need a "smartcard", similar to the "Chip and Pin" cards, which would have to be plugged into a slot on the PC to allow access. | Any member of staff wanting to access the new system would need a "smartcard", similar to the "Chip and Pin" cards, which would have to be plugged into a slot on the PC to allow access. |
| Well over 400,000 cards have already been handed to NHS staff, and Connecting for Health revealed that just under 1% have been reported missing, with 1,240 of these reported in the past year. | Well over 400,000 cards have already been handed to NHS staff, and Connecting for Health revealed that just under 1% have been reported missing, with 1,240 of these reported in the past year. |
| Pulse's figure of 6,000 was based on Freedom of Information requests to NHS bodies across England. | Pulse's figure of 6,000 was based on Freedom of Information requests to NHS bodies across England. |
| Connecting for Health said that multiple reports of the same card loss might account for the difference. | Connecting for Health said that multiple reports of the same card loss might account for the difference. |
| One trust in ten said that it had no idea how many cards had been lost or stolen. | One trust in ten said that it had no idea how many cards had been lost or stolen. |
| Card-sharing | Card-sharing |
| Pulse deputy editor Richard Hoey said: "The real message here isn't how many smartcards are being lost, but how many trusts are failing to keep proper records or gear themselves up to deal with security breaches." | Pulse deputy editor Richard Hoey said: "The real message here isn't how many smartcards are being lost, but how many trusts are failing to keep proper records or gear themselves up to deal with security breaches." |
| However, Professor Ross Anderson, a computer security specialist from the University of Cambridge, said that it was unrealistic to believe that such a large network would remain entirely secure. | However, Professor Ross Anderson, a computer security specialist from the University of Cambridge, said that it was unrealistic to believe that such a large network would remain entirely secure. |
| "You can't expect stuff to remain confidential if a few hundred thousand people have access. | "You can't expect stuff to remain confidential if a few hundred thousand people have access. |
| "There will be several hundred at any time who've lost their smartcards and thousands who leave terminals logged on or share cards in other ways." | "There will be several hundred at any time who've lost their smartcards and thousands who leave terminals logged on or share cards in other ways." |
| A spokesman for Connecting for Health said there were other safeguards designed to protect confidential information. | A spokesman for Connecting for Health said there were other safeguards designed to protect confidential information. |
| "As soon as a smartcard is reported lost it is disabled. It cannot be used by anyone finding it without a six-digit PIN number, which is issued directly to users." | "As soon as a smartcard is reported lost it is disabled. It cannot be used by anyone finding it without a six-digit PIN number, which is issued directly to users." |
| The new computer system, the largest civil computing project in history, has been dogged by delays and fears over patient privacy, with some doctors calling for it to be abandoned. | |
| However, Connecting for Health says it will deliver clear benefits for patients, including the ability for any doctor, anywhere in the NHS, to view medical records before deciding on treatment. |