PATIENTS’ representatives have spoken of their outrage after scores of confidential files were lost by North-East NHS trusts.

The papers include private data such as medical history notes, prescription charts and laboratory results.

Among the missing data is a bundle of 19 files that a consultant left in his car overnight. The car was stolen from his driveway and the records were never recovered.

An investigation by The Northern Echo found that 65 files were reported lost or stolen in the past three years by NHS trusts at North Tees and Hartlepool, South Tees, Newcastle and York.

The four revealed the records were missing after freedom of information requests were submitted to trusts across the region.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust has lost 21 files over the period – including the box of 19 records that disappeared when the consultant’s car was stolen in July last year.

The trust also admitted that a further two files have been lost within the organisation’s system. Thorough searches have taken place but the files have not been found.

The trust’s director of information, Joanne Dewar, last night defended the organisation’s record on data protection.

She said: “We have a health records policy and information security and confidentiality practices and procedure in place and take the matter of lost patient records very seriously.

“We have an electronic case record tracking system at the trust, which tracks the location of notes at the trust’s hospitals and to other areas outside the trust, and notes are delivered in sealed bags for security.

“Twenty-one files is a small amount compared to the number of patients’ records we handle at our hospitals, but any missing patient record is one too many and we never stop looking.”

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust lost 42 patient files when a van carrying the records between medical centres was stolen in July 2006.

The body’s head of record management, Jan Atkinson, said the trust was “extremely disturbed” about the theft.

“Apart from the potential distress to those involved, it demonstrated a weakness in what we thought was a secure transport system,” she said.

“All of the patients involved in this incident were contacted, and a great deal of work was put into ensuring all relevant information was retrieved from our systems.

“We also reviewed our transport and security arrangements to ensure, as far as we can, that this does not happen again.”

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust revealed one file was lost when a laptop computer was stolen during a break-in.

York Hospitals NHS Trust lost track of a file when it was sent to a hospital in East Yorkshire as part of a patient’s care process.

No files were lost in Darlington, according to the town’s primary care trust.

Gateshead Health NHS Trust failed to respond to the request. A spokesman said staff had not been able to collect the information in time because of absences.

“This is typical of what goes on in the NHS,” said Michael Summers, of The Patients’ Association. “These people have no idea about security.”

Trusts across the UK have been criticised for failing to treat security of confidential patient records more seriously.

An investigation by the BBC in Wales discovered that details for a children’s ward at a Wrexham hospital were found on a piece of paper in a puddle.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “The NHS locally has legal responsibility to comply with data protection rules. They are expected to take data loss extremely seriously, be open about incidents and about the action taken as a result.

“We have written to all senior health managers reminding them of their responsibilities."