NHS Covid jab booking site leaks people’s vaccine status

[Northerner]

The NHS is revising its process for booking Covid vaccinations after the discovery of a “seriously shocking failure” that leaked medical data from the site.

The website lets users make appointments using their NHS number or, if they do not have it to hand, some basic identity information. But in the process, users’ vaccination status is disclosed, allowing anyone who possesses basic personal details of a friend, colleague or stranger to find out what should be confidential medical information.

Employers would therefore, in theory, be able to trivially find out which of their staff had been vaccinated, for instance, while others may feel under pressure not to get the vaccine for fear of criticism from anti-vaccination friends or colleagues.

NHS Covid jab booking site leaks people’s vaccine status

Exclusive: Health service revising its process in England as ‘shocking failure’ allows access to medical data

www.theguardian.com

 

[mikeyB]

I'm not surprised, given government's skill in procuring IT systems. Where did they get this system from? Lidl? Argos?

 

[Amigo]

The NHS is revising its process for booking Covid vaccinations after the discovery of a “seriously shocking failure” that leaked medical data from the site.

The website lets users make appointments using their NHS number or, if they do not have it to hand, some basic identity information. But in the process, users’ vaccination status is disclosed, allowing anyone who possesses basic personal details of a friend, colleague or stranger to find out what should be confidential medical information.

Employers would therefore, in theory, be able to trivially find out which of their staff had been vaccinated, for instance, while others may feel under pressure not to get the vaccine for fear of criticism from anti-vaccination friends or colleagues.

NHS Covid jab booking site leaks people’s vaccine status

Exclusive: Health service revising its process in England as ‘shocking failure’ allows access to medical data

www.theguardian.com

Im wondering if they’ve tightened up on this in the past few days because hubby has been trying to install the NHS app but it’s rejected his passport photo and told him to create a video saying certain numbers. Now they’ve instructed him to start from scratch again! His passport photo is ok to travel the world but not good enough for the NHS!
I foresee a right old mess with this ‘travel passport’ and can’t see it being operational this year in a useable form.

 

[Jodee]

Ha ha @Amigo - I thought you were going to say

"Im wondering if they’ve tightened up on this in the past few days because hubby has been trying to access my details "

 

[Amigo]

Ha ha @Amigo - I thought you were going to say

"Im wondering if they’ve tightened up on this in the past few days because hubby has been trying to access my details "

Lol Jodee!

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Im wondering if they’ve tightened up on this in the past few days because hubby has been trying to install the NHS app

The app is unrelated. A number of journalists have commented that if it's going to be the preferred digital covid certification solution then there may well be a scaling issue. (Since at the best of times registering your identity takes an hour or so (that's what it took me a few months ago), so add a sudden rush of a few million people wanting to start using it...)