NHS service admits data breach due to pager use
Summary
NHS Blood and Transplant admitted it sent sensitive patient data through unencrypted pager messages. The service has stopped using pagers for patient information and is investigating the data breach.Key Facts
- NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) sent names, birth dates, and organ details over unencrypted pagers.
- Pagers are old radio devices that can receive but not send messages, often used in hospitals.
- The NHS planned to stop using pagers by 2021, but some areas still used them in 2026.
- NHSBT was alerted to the breach by a BBC investigation and reported it to the Information Commissioner.
- Messages included sensitive transplant patient information and other emergency data from hospitals and ambulance trusts.
- NHSBT acknowledged the breach, apologized, and stopped sending patient data on pagers.
- Pagers can penetrate thick hospital walls and have long battery life, but their messages are not private or secure.
- An internal review is underway to prevent similar issues in the future.
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