FIG RESPONDS TO JUSTICE 4 PATIENTS SUPREME COURT CLAIM

 

By J Brock (FINN)

 

(Info taken from the Falklands Radio Broadcast on Tuesday, 21 January 2025 at the 1817 Broadcast.)

 

On Tuesday, 21 January 2025 the Justice4Patients Group filed a claim with the supreme Court of the Falkland Islands regarding breaches of the Constitutional right to privacy and family life.  Based on the emotional harm and distress caused by unauthorised access to medical records by staff in the KEMH, the claim additionally highlights the alleged failure of FIG to prevent the unauthorised access and additionally assumes that once the breaches were discovered, FIG’s response was weak and ineffectual.

 

In an e-mailed response, FIG told FINN, “The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) acknowledges the claim filed by the Justice4Patients group with the Supreme Court of the Falkland Islands.”

The response went on to say that “In September last year the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) provided a detailed update to the public in relation to actions taken in respect of patient data breaches. A wide range of improvements in how KEMH handles confidential patient data have been introduced, and further changes will also be implemented, including an upgrade to the KEMH’s electronic patient record system.”

 

FIG’s response continues that, “The update acknowledged the worry and distress that these breaches have caused. The KEMH, and FIG, was and remains very sorry that these breaches occurred.”

 

“Members of the public will be aware,” the response said, “that the KEMH commissioned an inspection of certain hospital services last year. The report has been received, will be published shortly, and on the matter of confidentiality it notes ‘significant improvements were made to internal processes and procedures around accessing patient data following recent data breaches…’. However, it was also found that there was ‘a notable level of anxiety among staff who felt they may get in trouble for legitimately accessing patient records’. This highlights the necessity of maintaining proportionality in the KEMH’s responses.”

 

In conclusion the FIG response says “The KEMH and the FIG have been, and will remain, open and candid about these breaches, committed to improvement and fully co-operative with any legal processes, whilst at the same time ensuring that staff are fully supported in appropriately using patient data at all times.”

 

FINN would like to read the FIG report before commenting further on the matter.