Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSConfidentiality breach as nurse tells teen's family of secret abortion
A hospital in Luton has launched an internal review following reports that an NHS nurse allegedly called the relative of a teenage girl who had been admitted to hospital with complications following an abortion.
According to reports, the 16-year-old girl was thrown out of her home when her devoutly Catholic mother was informed of her decision to have a termination.
The nurse, said to be a friend of the girl’s aunt, allegedly placed the call when the teenager was taken to hospital suffering from side-effects of the procedure. Luton and Dunstable Hospital said it was reviewing the circumstances of the case.
A spokeswoman said: “We are sorry to hear the distressing story that a patient has reported to the media.
“We encourage the patient to raise this matter directly with the hospital so that we can look further into the allegations.
“All allegations of this nature are reviewed internally and any breach is dealt with under our disciplinary conduct and performance procedure.
“Luton and Dunstable Hospital has a strong track record in protecting the privacy and dignity of patients and we wish to reassure our patients that any breach of confidentiality is of the utmost concern for the hospital and one which we would regard as a very serious matter.”
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Readers' comments (2)
marilyn edwards | 31-Jan-2010 12:04 pm
There is no excuse for this action. The girl put her trust in a service that stresses confidentiality.
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Anonymous | 21-Apr-2010 3:51 pm
What impact will this have on Young People having the confidence to access Health Services when they need it?
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