NHS board admits health worker leaked information

UK Political Correspondent

Tuesday 12 June 2012

A SCOTTISH health board has admitted a health worker was probably the source of the revelation that Gordon Brown's son was suffering from cystic fibrosis.

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Kate Devlin

The former prime minister has previously accused The Sun of inappropriately accessing medical records to get the story in 2006.

But NHS Fife has now said a member of staff probably spoke "without authorisation" about his medical condition.

The Sun has always insisted the story came from a member of the public whose family was also affected by cystic fibrosis. Mr Brown questioned that explanation yesterday at the Leveson Inquiry. He said: "In 2006, The Sun claimed they had a story from a man in the street who happened to be the father of someone who suffered from cystic fibrosis. I never believed that could be correct."In a statement, NHS Fife said it believed a member of staff had spoken about the Brown case. Officials added that they did not think that there had been "inappropriate access" to medical records. John Wilson, chief executive of NHS Fife, added: "I have apologised to Mr and Mrs Brown and we have taken steps to ensure that what happened to their family should not happen again."He said it was "highly likely" a member of staff had "spoke without authorisation"."It has not been possible to identify all the circumstances," he added. "We believe, however, that there was no inappropriate access to the child's medical records."News International, the publishers of The Sun, said it welcomed the statement. A spokesman added: "The Sun stands by previous statements issued on the matter."

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NHS board admits health worker leaked information

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