A sexual health doctor has been suspended after she accessed a north-east man’s medical records without permission – then posted them on his Facebook.
While working for NHS Fife, Linda Morris requested a transfer of the man’s files from NHS Grampian on July 11, 2016.
She didn’t have his consent or a clinical need to do so and failed to report in the notes that she’d seen them.
Then, four years later, she made an “inappropriate” post on the man’s Facebook page, revealing confidential information from his records.
Dr Morris has now been suspended for two months, after admitting to all the allegations put to her by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).
‘It was a particular set of circumstances… and it won’t happen again’
The tribunal noted the man, known only as Mr A, was not a patient of Dr Morris at any time.
Therefore it said her actions hadn’t put any patients at an unwarranted risk of harm.
In a statement to the panel, Dr Morris admitted to breaking “the professional value of trust” – and said she’ll never repeat her actions.
“It was a very particular set of circumstances with Mr A, but I will never again let
my emotions cloud my professional judgement,” she wrote.
Dr Morris qualified as a GP in 2001. Since 2009, she has been working as a speciality doctor in sexual and reproductive health.
Doctor suspended for two months
An internal investigation was carried out into Dr Morris’ conduct, but it only focused on her accessing the records, and not the Facebook post four years later.
A statement from “Dr B”, her responsible officer, said: “Dr Morris made me aware of the Facebook post, but this was not pursued as part of the internal conduct investigation, as the breach of health record confidentiality was deemed our priority.”
Dr Morris has been suspended for two months.
The tribunal chair, Jayne Wheat, described her conduct as “serious [but] remediable”.
“[We] were satisfied that Dr Morris had understood the impact of her actions
on public confidence in the profession,” she concluded.
A spokeswoman for NHS Fife said it was unable to comment on the matter, and could not confirm if Dr Morris is still employed there.