Healthcare providers are failing to protect the privacy of people living with HIV, watchdog warns

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office has warned healthcare providers that they are not doing enough to safeguard the privacy of people living with HIV. Failures to use the blind copy function in emails have resulted in breaches of patient data. The issue is particularly prominent in the NHS and voluntary sector healthcare providers. Since 2019, there have been 19 data breaches by healthcare organisations, with seven occurring in the last financial year. Healthcare providers accounted for a fifth of all personal data breaches in 2022-2023.