How to Secure Patient Data - Patient Privacy and Data Security

By law, everyone is entitled to privacy, but medical patient data is even more protected. In the UK, four laws protect personal confidential data to ensure patient data security:

• Human Rights Act 1998
• NHS Act 2006
• Health and Social Care Act 2012
• Data Protection Act 2018

The law states that data can be kept, but it must be properly maintained. This means up-to-date information, used when relevant, and available only to those who need access – such as doctors and nurses.

The Data Protection Act is very explicit that consent for the sharing of information from patient to clinician is on the basis of being properly informed about its usage and a specific or defined purpose for using it. An individual’s personal information can legally be shared between organisations providing care but there must be confidentiality for any uses beyond this, such as public health planning of care quality reviews.

Securing patient data is a priority for healthcare organisations to ensure they comply with the law, but protecting patient privacy and data security go hand in hand because of trust. Trust between a patient and a clinician is crucial for accurate and effective healthcare. If a patient can’t trust an organisation to protect their privacy and personal information, how can they trust them to treat them?

With the majority of healthcare records now digitised it’s inevitable that there will be data security issues, but it goes beyond just doctor’s notes. Watches and ‘fit bits’ that track heart rate and movement produce data to be used in healthcare. The same goes for fitness and period apps, allergy testing, and even genetics testing to see your heritage. It’s all data and it all deserves to remain private, which is why cybersecurity is a huge part of modern healthcare.

Cybersecurity is digital protection – against unlawful or unauthorised access to data and systems. With healthcare being such a big and vital industry, it’s an inevitable target for attack, so healthcare data security must be taken seriously.

Hackers, Phishing & Ransomware:

Some of these breaches will come from hackers, and the most common form of hack is via phishing. This is when a fake imitation email is sent to a person. The email often contains a link which, at first glance, looks legitimate. Typically this is not the case though, and by clicking on the link you have given the person on the other end permission to access your computer and the files and data it contains.

Sometimes it stops there, at the data breach, but in some serious cases it can escalate to a ransom demand. Ransomware is a virus that comes from these phishing emails. It locks users out of computers or even entire systems, demanding payment to be let back in. Cyber attacks are constant, but good security software and proper IT training helps protect against incidents.

The NHS has experienced many attacks before, but the most notable two in recent years were the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 and the Synnovis ransomware attack in 2024. Synnovis is a pathology partnership between Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and international diagnostics provider SYNLAB. A user account without multifactor authentication was compromised, granting the hackers access to the data network. From there they took private medical information and deployed ransomware to block NHS usage of the systems.

By June 2025, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that a patient death was linked to the attack - the first proven instance of a cyber attack leading to a fatality in the UK. Synnovis also confirmed later in 2025 that 90,000 records had been stolen, though security firm CaseMatrix suggests this might be more like 900,000 NHS records extracted.

Ageing computers & software:

One of the reasons that some healthcare providers have been targeted before is due to outdated software, and in many cases the software has been held back by older computer systems that simply cannot support the new and improved tools available for healthcare professionals.

With constant innovation in both cybersecurity and from those looking to breach it, it’s vital to have up-to-date computer programming that has the very best in cybersecurity. This is what The Access Group aims to provide with Rio Cloud – which is explained in greater detail later in this blog.

It isn’t as simple as “buy new computers and software” however. NHS trusts and other health organisations have tight budgets from which to provide care. Transitions are rarely sweeping and comprehensive, and a system is only as secure as its weakest link.

Human error:

Security threats aren’t always from outside though. Human error or even malicious behaviour is a problem in some instances. This misuse may be accidental, such as human error when accessing data in general, or by inputting a person’s data incorrectly, but at times it can be deliberate in order to access personal information about a patient – whether for financial gain or some other inappropriate reason.

Staff training:

A cost-effective way to compensate for the slower pace of software improvements is by skills training medical professionals – clinical and administrative – in IT. Effective training and rigid protocols for behaviour can prevent attacks such as phishing emails or accidentally downloading malicious software (malware) from being successful.

Cost again becomes an issue here, but so too does time and even a person’s capacity to learn. Younger generations have been raised around digital devices all their lives, so newer recruits to healthcare should have fair ability when it comes to technology training. Older people – those with the most experience in healthcare – may struggle to adapt, or may take more time to learn. This may mean improvement in the future but in the short term it could reduce healthcare capacity.

The cost of a healthcare data breach under UK law can be up to £17.5 million, or 4% of an organisation’s annual global turnover – whichever is greater. The more common penalty is the lower tier of £8.7 million or 2% turnover, again whichever is greater. EU law allows a maximum fine of €20 million.

The danger of failing to protect a patient’s healthcare data is taken incredibly seriously by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Not all responses will be so severe, but the acts do allow the ICO to issue a range of penalties from warnings to bans on data processing and even the suspension of certain business activities.

The UK and EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), as well as by the UK’s Data Protection Act 2018, are so resolute in their response due to the impact of exposing patients to risk – of harassment, blackmail, identity theft and more.

The ICO does not award individuals affected by a data breach compensation, but often organisations will settle in cases rather than go to court.

Cybersecurity is now a crucial part of the modern world and healthcare staff have a big part to play in patient data security and privacy. By sticking to simple, sensible protocols they can minimise risk and maximise client protection.

The Human Cost

In this article we've approached talking points primarily from an organisational/regulatory risk, rather than the human cost to patients. Patients should always come first, and the ethos for NHS or independent healthcare providers should be that patient privacy is sacrosanct; everyone has the right to their details being adequately protected and shielded from public knowledge beyond what they choose to divulge.

Below are five key impacts to the patients specifically:

1. Direct patient safety is the ultimate risk point. As listed earlier in the article, King's College Hospital confirmed the first recorded death of a patient related to a cyber attack disrupting operations, with 2 cases of severe harm, 11 of moderate harm, and more than 120 of low harm across at least four London boroughs reported in 2025 as part of the forensic investigation into the breach.
   
   
2. Identity theft is a problem when hackers get patient information, with the potential to then receive healthcare using that other person's identity. This has the potential to contaminate the victim's medical records with incorrect information - be it the criminal's or another associate. The knock on effect is then misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatments, which can be life-threatening.
   
   
3. Extortion and blackmail based on information found in these medical records is also foreseeable. Information around pregnancies, abortions, and sexual health tests just to name a few potential avenues that could be abused.
   
   
4. Fraud and scams can target patients directly for things like fake insurance claims or phishing emails that are incredibly realistic based on the genuine information used in the messaging. Alternatively, criminals could use their information for illegal purchases of prescription medication.
   
   
5. Psychological harm is a real risk for patients. Personal medical information can be stigmatised or lead to discrimination - think about things like STIs, for example. The subsequent anxiety and stress can be detrimental to short-term and long-term wellbeing, which adds burden to healthcare services, but that also presumes patients will be comfortable using said services after a breach of privacy. Trust erodes, confidence wanes, and willingness to engage diminishes.

Data security in healthcare has rapidly evolved. In the past, patient data would be on paper and kept under lock and key. Now we keep digital notes; files that can be far more easily accessed, amended and shared for more efficient healthcare. The same principles of protection apply though. Digital records need to be kept safe, but how to secure patient data?

Clinical record software is the answer. Robust computer programming can provide the best practice for securing patient data, with the ability to password lock files or to restrict permissions to approved users only. On top of that an administrator can track a user’s behaviour and what files they have been accessing in the event of any concerns.

Safe, secure electronic patient record (EPR) systems, such as Access Rio EPR, have been used by Trusts for years, ensuring patient data is stored correctly but organisations providing care outside of the NHS have relied on paper or systems that aren’t fit for purpose.

It’s easy for healthcare professionals to use through a web browser and easy to provide transparency for any patients who want to know more about how their data is being used. It also provides role based access controls, so only staff members relevant to a patient can see their record.

Rio allows clinicians access to records in one, secure location and can be used by any organisation, permitting anywhere from 10 to 10,000 users.

It logs full patient history, which helps reduce clinical risk by presenting a full picture of a person’s health, and the ease of use saves time and money, supporting faster decision making, speeding up the care process. The Access Group provides continuous monitoring of Rio EPR and schedules proactive maintenance for the least impact on healthcare provision, and should any problems arise then there’s a dedicated, UK-based customer success manager assistance.