The Workplace Relations Commission found that a hospital’s dismissal of a nurse who copied details from 67 patient cases into a personal logbook was not unfair. The decision was dated 6 June 2018.
The nurse said she compiled the logbook for re-registration and reflection, and argued that her dismissal was disproportionate and the disciplinary process flawed. The adjudication officer found that copying sensitive patient information for personal use breached the hospital’s data protection policy, her employment confidentiality obligations and the nursing code of conduct. The officer also found that the hospital, as data controller, was responsible for the breach of the Data Protection Acts.
The WRC found the investigation fair and the dismissal reasonable, and ruled against the nurse on her unfair dismissal complaint. It found that the logbook could have identified patients and that the nurse’s conduct was extremely serious.