Looking after high-profile patients
Celebrity patients often come with the private practice territory. Dr Sally Old advises how to protect their privacy.
It can be challenging when you may be involved in treating high-profile people such as celebrities.
And it can be much more difficult to protect their personal and medical information, as the media has a limitless appetite for healthcare stories with a celebrity angle.
But high-profile patients deserve the same level of confidentiality as everyone else.
What should I do if a journalist contacts me?
If a journalist contacts you, do not feel panicked or pressured into speaking to them immediately. Ask for their name, publication and contact details – so you can respond to them in your own time.
Unfortunately, journalists are unlikely to go away if you just ignore them, so it is advisable to call them back.
Sadly, there have been instances where people have tried to get information about a high-profile patient by posing as a legitimate inquirer, such as a family member.
Ensure that appropriate patient consent is in place before sharing any information with a third party, including family members.
If you are contacted by someone who says they are a close relative of a patient, take the necessary steps to check they are who they claim to be. For example:
- If taking a call from someone claiming to be a GP, you could check that they know the patient’s NHS number;
- If receiving a phone call, take the caller’s number and ring them back after checking the number is valid.
Unfortunately, none of these systems are completely secure. If you are ever in doubt, it is wise to respond via a more secure medium than over the phone, such as in writing via email.
In the majority of cases, the most appropriate response if you are asked by a journalist about any patient will be to state that you cannot comment because of your duty of confidentiality.
Even if you believe that the patient has put information into the public domain, this doesn’t mean that you are free to comment or confirm the details without their expressed consent.
This is especially true, as any comments you make could find their way into a story, even if you believe you are ‘off the record’.
In some cases, it might be appropriate to contact the celebrity patient and explain that you have been approached by the media. You should reassure them that your duty of confidentiality means you will not comment about their treatment without their consent.
The patient may appreciate a warning and may, depending on the circumstances, take the opportunity to draft a short statement.
If this occurs, then it is advisable to make a note of any discussion and the precise wording of any statement.
What should I have in place to protect patient confidentiality?
It makes sense to have practice policies and procedures in place to prevent any inadvertent confidentiality breaches.
These include ensuring records are protected from unauthorised access.
All staff should already be aware of their duty to uphold patient confidentiality and have been trained to do so.
However, you may want to remind them in case they are tempted to tell close friends or family about a celebrity patient. Nor should social media be used to discuss individual patients, however secure the user’s privacy settings.
In summary, if the media ask about a patient under your care, explain that you cannot comment because of your duty of confidentiality and take steps to prevent unauthorised access to records.
Also, beware of discussing patients where you can be overheard, such as in the reception area and avoid commenting on cases via social media.
Bear in mind that even seemingly superficial details could be identifiable.
Additionally, MDU members can also seek advice from our press office, who can help guide you through the complexities of dealing with the media.
Dr Sally Old (right) is a medico-legal adviser at the Medical Defence Union
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