It is NSW law that aged care patient documentation be destroyed after 10 years. So the recent privacy breach of medical records in the abandoned Garrawarra Centre for Aged Care has broken records of potentially the largest data breach of its kind in Australian History.
Inside the Ages Care Centre were dumped photo albums and medical records of more than 400 patients from 1992 to 2002. The local who stumbled upon the mess of soiled documents with cigarette butts, graffiti and drug paraphernalia, demanded the families of those whose records had been neglected should be contacted by NSW Health and formally apologised to.
Aged Care facilities harbour information for hundreds of patients, which includes personal and confidential details about their illnesses, medical condition, families, even personalities, which if not properly managed could have devastating effects.
But they're not the only ones at risk. Think of what sensitive information your business collects and how you manage it. You need to ensure you're collecting, storing and destroying sensitive information properly.
Data Breach is no joke, and any business is vulnerable to attack.
For more information on how you can improve your privacy and data security click here.