Privacy breach at Nova Scotia Health impacts more than 2,000 people
A former employee at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, in Antigonish, N.S., inappropriately accessed the personal health information of 2,690 people, according to a news release from Nova Scotia Health.
The health authority says the person responsible has been terminated and it is in the process of sending letters to those who were affected.
“Nova Scotia Health views this as a summary offence under the Personal Health Information Act and the RCMP are currently investigating,” reads the release.
“All those affected will hear directly from Nova Scotia Health and we will be available to discuss the details of these breaches with them.”
When asked what role the employee played at the hospital, Nova Scotia Health would only say it was not “clinical in nature.”
The health authority said suspicious activity was identified in September and the employee was immediately suspended. As the investigation unfolded, the employee was eventually fired in November.
Nova Scotia Health says registration, demographic and clinical information was accessed.
“While we maintain confidence in the ethical practices of employees throughout our organization, we are extremely disappointed that an employee of Nova Scotia Health would engage in activity of this nature,” reads the release.
When asked why it took so long to release this information to the public, Nova Scotia Health’s chief financial officer Derek Spinney said they needed time to figure out the scope of the breach.
“We had enough information initially to understand there was inappropriate activity,” said Spinney.
“We didn’t have a fulsome understanding of the magnitude.”
To that end, Spinney says the health authority used software to cast a net around potential breaches, and then an investigator would look at each individual record to see if there were signs it had been accessed inappropriately.
“A person would then need to investigate everyone of the thousands of records that came back to determine, was this appropriate for the work they were doing at that time, and that work takes a lot of time,” he added.
According to Nova Scotia Health, employees and physicians “have access to only that information that is required for them to perform their duties.”
If inappropriate access is suspected, the health authority says a full investigation will take place and offenders could face penalties, including fines and jail time.
In order to ensure employees understand appropriate access and the obligation to keep patient information confidential, Nova Scotia Health says the following steps are implemented:
- criminal record checks
- standard orientation for all new staff, including privacy training and compliance with Nova Scotia Health policies and procedures
- ongoing education for managers and front-line staff
- privacy and confidentiality training with the requirement for all Nova Scotia Health employees to complete and submit a signed pledge of confidentiality.
- data access controls – only those requiring access to perform their job are granted access
- continuous monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts or suspicious activity.
At this point, no reason has been given for why the employee was accessing these records.
No other employees past or present were involved in this breach, according to the health authority.
Nova Scotia Health says the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia have been notified.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
LIVE UPDATES Multiple homes, businesses 'lost' to wildfire in Jasper National Park: Parks Canada
Officials from Parks Canada and Jasper say "multiple structures, including a number of businesses and homes, in and around the town of Jasper, have been lost" to wildfire in Jasper National Park.
Alberta premier says a third, perhaps half, of all Jasper buildings destroyed by fire
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says early reports indicate a third and perhaps up to half of all buildings in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper have burned in a wildfire.
Prince William's 2023 salary revealed in new report
Newly released financial reports show that William, the Prince of Wales, drew a salary of $42.1 million last fiscal year, his first since inheriting the vast and lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
Tourist suffers 3rd-degree burns to feet after losing flip flops amid soaring temperatures in Death Valley
A tourist was hospitalized after suffering serious burns on his feet on Saturday when he lost his flip flops at a U.S. national park where temperatures soared past 48 Celsius.
'There's mom and dad's house': New video appears to show destruction of Jasper neighbourhood
Video posted to social media on Thursday morning appears to show the charred remains of a Jasper, Alta., neighbourhood.
Former judge with disputed Cree heritage likely has Indigenous DNA: law society
The Law Society of British Columbia says a DNA test shows a former judge and Order of Canada recipient accused of falsely claiming to be Cree "most likely" has Indigenous heritage.
Australian field hockey player opts to amputate part of his finger in order to compete in Paris Olympics
In the run up to the Paris Olympics, athletes have been stepping up their preparations in order to maintain their edge over competitors. But for Australia’s Matt Dawson, those preparations looked a little different this year, with the field hockey player opting to have part of his finger amputated in order to compete in the Games.
Canada to bring home fewest Olympic medals since 2012, according to forecaster
Fewer Canadians are expected to reach the Paris podium than in the previous two Olympic Summer Games, a global data analytics company predicts.
Jennifer Aniston criticizes JD Vance for 'childless cat ladies' remarks: 'I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children'
Jennifer Aniston is criticizing JD Vance for comments he made in his past about women without children.