Cost of hospital losses revealed

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Thousands of items worth about £725,000 have been lost or stolen from Scottish hospitals over the past two years, it has been revealed.

Almost 2,500 items have gone missing, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said in a parliamentary answer.

Scottish Labour called for security to be strengthened in NHS hospitals.

Ms Sturgeon said the losses were "highly regrettable" but pointed out the 2008 figures had dropped from the previous year.

NHS Tayside has the worst record in Scotland, with 142 items worth about £125,000 lost or stolen from its premises in the past year.

I have made clear to NHS boards the high importance I attach to good data protection procedures Nicola SturgeonHealth Secretary

However, more than half of that total was a one-off write-off of obsolete equipment.

The total value of losses in the NHS last year was £325,000, down from £401,000 in 2007-08.

Labour health spokesman Dr Richard Simpson said he believed the losses could include laptops, which might hold sensitive patient information, along with medical equipment and possibly even hospital furniture.

He added: "In a tight financial environment we simply cannot afford for this to continue.

"The Scottish government needs to start taking security in our hospitals and clinics much more seriously.

"I want the Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to take action so that patients can be confident that their records don't fall into the wrong hands and expensive equipment stays where it belongs."

'No evidence'

Ms Sturgeon said: "It is the responsibility of individual NHS boards to ensure they have the right security measures in place, particularly with regard to any sensitive personal information.

"Richard Simpson provides no evidence for his assertions about what may or may not have been stolen but he can rest assured that I have made clear to NHS boards the high importance I attach to good data protection procedures.

"He also omits to mention the significant decline in the number and value of thefts between 2007-08 and 2008-09."

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said it had an "extremely robust" system in place to record all incidents of loss whether that be to "patients, staff, visitors or to the organisation itself".

She added: "Without exception, every loss, no matter how small, is recorded onto our systems and entered into our accounts.

"The people of Tayside should be reassured that over the past 12 months, there have been no incidents where items lost or stolen have contained sensitive patient information."