Medical Specialist Group sanctioned for data error

The Medical Specialist Group has been ordered to improve its handling of patient data

Guernsey's Medical Specialist Group (MSG) has been ordered to take action over the way it handles personal medical information.

It follows a complaint by a family regarding alleged errors, omissions, and inaccuracies with the data held by MSG relating to their daughter.

An Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA) investigation found there was a "lack of clarity" over the way MSG shared personal data with other organisations, leading to "confusion and uncertainty for MSG’s patients and clients."

MSG said it had cooperated fully with the investigation process throughout and had accepted the enforcement order.

The family made their complaint to the ODPA in November 2023. It related to the processing of their child’s personal medical data.

The ODPA said many of the issues highlighted related to the lack of clarity in the Joint Data Processing Agreement MSG had in place with other parties they shared personal data with, including Guernsey's Office for Health and Social Care (HSC).

An ODPA spokesperson said: "As a result, there was uncertainty about who was responsible for providing the medical records requested by patients.

"This resulted in the medical records the parents received from the MSG regarding their daughter being incomplete."

The authority has now issued an enforcement order to MSG compelling them to address the concerns raised and to bring their practices into compliance with the law.

'No privacy breached'

Dr Steve Evans, chair of MSG, which is contracted to provide secondary healthcare in Guernsey, said: "We cooperated fully with the investigation process throughout and have accepted the enforcement order.

"This issue arose from a lack of clarity in a provision in our data processing agreement with HSC.

"We recognise that it is important for data subjects to get information on a timely basis, and we have already apologised to the parents concerned for the uncertainty here."

He added it was something MSG was "now taking forward with HSC's assistance, so that the position is made clear going forward".

"We would like to reassure islanders that this was not a matter of patient privacy being breached, and we remain committed to the highest standards of protection for patients."