Research by the Liberal Democrats has uncovered a catalogue of errors by the NHS regarding the protection of confidential patient information.

   Reported cases involved the loss or theft of diaries, briefcases, CDs, laptops, memory sticks, and even vehicles containing patient records.

Private patient notes were left in public places, deserted buildings, and dumped in bins and skips.

The incidents, contained in responses to a Freedom of Information request from the Liberal Democrats involved:

Ø       Patient record loss so serious that 25 patients were visited by the Police and NHS management

Ø       The theft of an entire GP practice system

Ø       Confidential patient information being posted to the wrong people

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb has written to the Health Secretary Alan Johnson urging him to accept five clear priorities to stem the loss of confidential data.

Commenting, Norman Lamb said: “Patients have a right to expect their personal information will be treated with the utmost care.

“We already know from the Information Commissioner that the NHS is among the worst offenders for data loss, reporting as many incidents as the entire private sector.

“There must be a fundamental re-examination of how the NHS deals with personal data. The NHS should regard lapses of standards of care as potential serious misconduct.

“Norman Lamb’s five priorities to stem the loss of confidential data are:

1.     The Department of Health should publish minimum standards for the protection of data on mobile devices and ensure that all NHS staff are aware of their particular responsibilities.

2.     As a general principle, patient records should not be stored on mobile devices and strict rules must apply to control the copying of data. Any exceptions must be authorised after a risk assessment and only where it is unavoidable for the completion of work duties and the provision of care.

3.     All mobile data devices should be protected through appropriate security controls regardless of the sensitivity of the information held. This includes the use of authentication, encryption, and other technical separation controls as well as registration and allocation of devices to an ‘owner’.

4.     Lapses in standards of care should be regarded as potential serious misconduct. 

5.     The Government should formally abandon its plans for a national patient database.

    Commenting on today’s Government announcement that sick notes are to be replaced with “fit notes”, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “This is a serious issue which deserves a sophisticated approach, but we must be wary of moving to a system where doctors find themselves policing the benefits system rather than treating the sick.”

Norman Lamb went on to say: “While it is important for people who have the capacity to work to find employment, the Government must not allow GPs to become bogged down in ever more red tape.

“If ministers are serious about helping people on long term sick leave back to work, they should focus on providing better access to effective treatment for the many people on incapacity benefit with mental health problems.”

Commenting on today’s report in the Health Service Journal which finds that NHS organisations will not get the full increase in resources pledged to them by the Treasury next financial year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “It is vital that we cut central bureaucracy in the NHS, but these plans are not the right way to get the best value for money.”

“The danger is that it reduces the incentive to hospital trusts to improve efficiency.”

Figures have just recently been revealed that show that last year Mr. Nicholson the Chief Executive of the NHS received a pay rise of 10 per cent; increasing his pay by £20,000 giving him a total salary of £220,000. Including benefits in kind, his total pay reached £258,000.   

However, at the same time he publicly backed increases of around 2 per cent as a way to “squeeze the pay bill in the NHS”. A fully trained nurse is paid between £20,225 and £26,123 a year, according to current rates.

NHS Resource Accounts, which give salaries of senior NHS staff in a series of bands, show that other senior NHS officials also saw large rises.

Christine Beasley, the chief nursing officer, saw her salary increase by 7 per cent to a maximum of £160,000.

Clare Chapman, Director General of Workforce, also received a 17 per cent pay rise to up to £245,000.

Overall, the figures show the Department of Health’s spending on the salaries of its top officials increased by as much as 38 per cent last year to up to £3.56 million. Over the past four years it has surged by up to 200 per cent.  

Almost 5,000 people have died from ulcers and pressure sores in the last five years, figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. Information uncovered by Paul Burstow through Parliamentary questions shows that 4,708 people have died at least in part to untreated sores in England in the last five years.

People with dementia who have difficulty walking can be especially prone to developing these sores. While usually easy to treat early on, if they are left untreated they do get worse, and they can be dangerous and ultimately contribute to a person dying.

A regional breakdown is included. Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP, Paul Burstow said: “It is deeply worrying that so many vulnerable older people are suffering from these painful and grotesque sores that can ultimately cause their premature death.

“Pressure sores can be a symptom of a vulnerable older person being ignored or neglected. It is vital that there is a national prevention programme to combat this hidden killer.

“Combating bed sores is not rocket science. Ministers must recognise that they need to be tackled as a matter of urgency.”

Commenting on reports that violence against NHS staff rose in the last year to 55,993 incidents, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “Violence against NHS staff is completely intolerable.”

Norman Lamb went on to say: “Current measures are clearly not effective enough as the numbers of incidents are rising.

“There must be zero tolerance of attacks, abuse and threats of violence and this must mean more prosecutions and police involvement.” 

     Commenting on today’s bulletin from the NHS Information Centre on mental health services, which shows that increasing numbers of people sought help from mental health services in 2006-7, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “This report shows the alarming increase in the numbers of people relying on overstretched mental health services. All the indications are that the recession will increase demand on these services as more families feel the pressure of debt, homelessness and unemployment.”

Norman Lamb continued, saying: “It is also unacceptable that there are still disproportionate numbers of black and minority ethnic people in compulsory detention.

“This must come as a call to action for the Government.

“Ministers must end the neglect of mental health services. That means guaranteed access to therapies approved by NICE within 13 weeks, an end to mixed sex wards and an end to youngsters being placed in adult wards.”

NHS Direct was set up with the aim of giving simple medical advice and help prevent patients unnecessarily wasting their GP’s time. At the time it was claimed that it would help to speed up access to GP surgeries; however in some people are still having to wait well in excess of three days to see their GP. 

Earlier this year an official report prepared by the helpline estimated that the price of answering every phonecall was running at around £16, but new figures show that the true cost is far higher.  

In a written parliamentary answer to the Liberal Democrats, ministers revealed that the operating costs of the service had run at more than £22 per call since 2004, when it was established as a national service.  

That figure rose to £25.54 in 2005-06 and last year the cost per call was £25.53, the statistics show, which is as much as a visit from a patient to see a GP were they will obviously get better and prompt treatment.  

In 2007-08 the service received 4,858,000 phonecalls from patients. But the round-the-clock service, which has a budget of £139 million, has faced criticism from its inception for high running costs and the limited help it can offer patients.  

More than a third of those who call the organisation’s nurse advisers are immediately referred on to their GP or to a hospital accident and emergency unit.  

Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said: “It’s time for a proper evaluation of NHS Direct.  

‘‘With all the problems there have been around out-of-hours care we might have expected to see an increase in the numbers using NHS Direct. But instead more people are going straight to A&E.  

”Ministers must look seriously at how they can justify this massive cost to the NHS given the enormous pressures on health spending.  

”The Government must ensure that all services on the NHS offer value for money.”

     60,000 school-aged children have been hospitalised due to drug poisoning in the last five years, Liberal Democrat research has revealed. Over 20,000 of those admitted were under 10 years old. The drugs involved ranged from narcotics and hallucinogens to antibiotics.The figures, revealed in Parliamentary answers show: 

Ø       There were nearly half a million (493,750) admissions to hospital for drug poisoning in last five years in England

Ø       Almost 100,000 admissions were for children aged 18 and under

Ø       60,000 of these admissions were for children aged 16 and under

Ø       20,000 of these admissions were for children aged 10 and under

Ø       Admissions overall have risen by 40% since 2002

Ø       The biggest increase has been amongst those aged between 16-18 with admissions up 62% since 2002-03   Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “These are horrifying statistics. The toll of damage from drugs is immense and the cost to the NHS is enormous.
 
“Ministers must ensure that local services like hospitals, schools, councils and the police working together to ensure the lives of children are not destroyed by drugs.
 
“The Government must act on the basis of what works when it comes to drugs policy.  The last thing vulnerable children need is a Prime Minister who disregards scientific advice just to appear tough.” 

         Living in East Marsh, I am fully aware of the issues of links between deprivation and health. The facts are somewhat stark; someone who lives in leafy suburbs of North East Lincolnshire is likely to live eight years more than someone in East Marsh.

This government promised to tackle health inequalites but the gaps are widening – I fully endorse Norman Lamb’s comments. In almost all cases, people from deprived areas are less likely to survive cancer compared to the rest of England as a whole, new figures highlighted by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

Figures released in answer to a Parliamentary Question show that people in poorer areas are:  

Ø       Over 20% more likely to die of oesophageal cancer within five years than average

Ø       9% less likely to survive cancer of the rectum

Ø       7% less likely to survive stomach or bladder cancer

Ø       5% less likely to survive lung cancer

Ø       3% less likely to survive colon cancer

The figures also show that men from poorer areas tend to have lower survival rates than women from poorer areas in all cancers except for bladder cancer.Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “The stark truth is that after 11 years in government, Labour has failed to tackle the deep disadvantage that scars much of our country and results in growing inequalities in health.
 
“It is shocking and disgraceful that this contrast can exist in modern Britain.
 
“For the past decade, this Government has achieved little more than broken promises on reducing health inequality.  Too much vital investment has been wasted on top-down bureaucracy.
 
“Such health inequalities will be Labour’s shameful NHS legacy.”