NHS Tayside Faces Record Data Breaches Amid Staffing Shortages

• •NHS Tayside logged over 800 data breaches in 18 months, the highest in five years.
• •The health board lacks sufficient staff to track all data breaches involving patient records.
• •Recent breaches include unauthorized access to the records of a deceased child, raising accountability concerns.

NHS Tayside has reported over 800 data breaches in the last 18 months, marking the highest level in five years. A Freedom of Information request revealed that 446 breaches were confirmed in 2025, with 360 reported between January and August 2026. The health board lacks sufficient staff to manually check and confirm all breaches involving patient records, leading to concerns about accountability. Recent incidents include unauthorized access to the medical records of Minnie Merriman, a nine-year-old girl who died after being found injured. MSP Murdo Fraser criticized the lack of centralized record-keeping for breaches, emphasizing the need for immediate action to protect patient confidentiality. NHS Tayside has stated that it treats all reported breaches seriously and is implementing an action plan to improve information governance.