Private data of NHS patients shared with strangers including HIV status after 3,500 breaches in two years

The personal data of thousands of NHS patients, including their HIV status, has been wrongly shared with strangers, according to figures from the Information Commissioner’s Office. There have been 3,557 such breaches in the last two years, with one patient receiving £10,000 in compensation after their GP disclosed their medical details. The breaches also include 866 instances where data was sent to the wrong recipient and 225 instances of data being lost, stolen or insecurely stored.