Nearly 350 non-medical workers have access to confidential patient records at West Middlesex Hospital, Big Brother Watch finds

Big Brother Watch said regular breaches across the country had resulted from slack safeguarding of sensitive personal information.

The hospital in Twickenham Road, Isleworth, told the campaigners under Freedom of Information laws that it had 346 non-medical workers with immediate access to confidential records.

Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch, said: “The number of non-medical personnel with access to confidential medical records leaves the system wide open for abuse.

“While Big Brother Watch has considered emergency, necessity and practicality concerns, we believe it is necessary to drastically reduce the number of people with access to medical records to prevent the high rate of data loss experienced by the NHS.”

The non-partisan group, which fights intrusions on privacy and liberty, said its research found the NHS’s regulation of access fluctuated depending on staff turnover, access to the computer network and changing security clearance.

The hospital said the number of its workers with access to confidential records “will change in number on a daily basis”.

A spokesman said Big Brother Watch’s figures were “misleading” and ignored the need for non-medical staff to access patient information in a “strictly controlled” way.

He added: “Without this, the NHS would be unable to function.

“Every person employed at the trust has a role, and their role defines what level of access they have to patient records.

“This is known as role-based access control and it is administered very strictly and securely at NHS trusts according to Department of Health policy.

“Access is controlled by IT system passwords, which are only issued after rigorous training in system processes and data protection and security.”

All administrative workers and managers access patients’ medical records on behalf of clinical staff, he said.