Child patient data found in street

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is investigating after confidential information about their patients was found by members of the public.

Information about 16 child patients at the Royal Oldham Hospital, which serves the residents of Oldham and Rochdale, was found more than 40 miles away on a street in Liverpool.

The Trust said any loss of data was unacceptable.

The patient details found in Liverpool, however, were printed on a single page.

A spokeswoman for The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We have clear systems in place to ensure the confidentiality of patient data and this information would normally only be handled by a small number of doctors and nurses on the children's ward.

The Information Commissioner's Office is investigating the incident: "We will now undertake a full investigation into how this document ended up in Liverpool.

"As part of this investigation, we will find out what went wrong in this case.

"We will also be contacting the parents and guardians of all the 16 patients involved."