§ Baroness Seccombeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, under the terms of the Data Protection Act, National Health Service hospitals are prevented from communicating the details of a patient's condition to the patient's family by telephone. [HL3228]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe Data Protection Act 1998 prevents National Health Service hospitals from disclosing confidential information, such as a patient's condition, to any third party by telephone or other means where this would represent an unlawful breach of confidence.