Ethics/Privacy Issue

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

My wife works in the NHS in a small team of four highly experienced nurse specialists - one of whom is relatively new - let's call her Rachel. The team reports via a team lead to a Nurse Practitioner (very senior nurse) - let's call her Sarah; who in turn reports to their Unit's Clinical Director (a highly respected consultant surgeon).

Over the last few months their has been considerable upset and difficulties within the team; an this has not gone unnoticed by others.

Yesterday at the end of the day my wife was sitting with three of her team colleagues after Rachel had left for home. My wife was passing the printer and spotted a sheet of print output there - as it is the team printer she picked it up to see who she should tak, e it to. Immediately obvious to her was that this was a printout of an Email from Rachel to Sarah (sent from Rachel's NHS Email address to that of Sarah) - intended solely for Sarah as not cc'd to anyone else. Glancing at the Email it was immediately apparent to my wife that she had been named in the Email in person and so read on. The Email comprised a listof complaints about and against the rest of the team - including the team lead and Clinical Director. Rather shocked about what she read she passed the mail to the team lead.

Now my question is simply this. Given the Email appears to be a private communication between Rachel and Sarah, and a communication certainly not intended to be read by any of the team or the clinical director, was my wife acting within her rights to read this Email or was she in the wrong in doing so and passing it to her team lead.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Does your wife know you are discussing very personal work related issues for her on a public forum read by thousands?

 

[Doon frae Troon]

IMO It stopped being a private communication the moment it hit the printer out tray and Rachel went home.
Anyone could have picked it up and read it.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Does your wife know you are discussing very personal work related issues for her on a public forum read by thousands?

The issue is simply reading or not reading the printout of an Email. I make no comment and will not discuss any of the issues or whether any of the accusation etc in the mail are valid or not and do not wish to discuss what should be done - and I have changed names. Simply. If you see private communication in which you are talked about do you have the right to read it.

 

[Imurg]

Agreed
Once it's in the Public Domain it's not Private any more.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Agreed
Once it's in the Public Domain it's not Private any more.

Even although I suspect the author did not intend to print it out, and even if she did she certainly did not mean to leave it on the printer.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Look at it as advance warning of an impending rumble and start countermeasures.
Ie start countering the allegations, getting the stories straight, get witnesses

Good luck, sounds like it won't be pleasant

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Even although I suspect the author did not intend to print it out, and even if she did she certainly did not mean to leave it on the printer.

Her problem, not your wife's.

Could Sarah have printed it out and left it as a means of her 'not wishing to become involved'.

 

[DCB]

IMO It stopped being a private communication the moment it hit the printer out tray and Rachel went home.
Anyone could have picked it up and read it.

+1 No longer a private matter as this was the outcome.

Team Leader now needs to get a grip of the situation before it boils over.

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

The only issue I can see is that all of my work emails have the following on the bottom:

"If you are not the addressee please advise the sender and delete all record of it from your system; please be aware that distribution, use or reproduction of this email is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful."

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

+1 No longer a private matter as this was the outcome.

Team Leader now needs to get a grip of the situation before it boils over.

Indeed - but don't want to discuss the actual situation as it is very sensitive. My wife is just a little worried that Rachel will use as further 'evidence' to support her case the fact that her private Email to Sarah was read.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The only issue I can see is that all of my work emails have the following on the bottom:

"If you are not the addressee please advise the sender and delete all record of it from your system; please be aware that distribution, use or reproduction of this email is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful."

Good point - though does this statement apply to reproductions made by the sender? And the point remains - notwithstanding this 'privacy' statement was my wife acting within her rights to read what someone else has written about her?

 

[tallpaul]

Statements on the footer of email like that apply to persons outside of the organisation or not bound by whatever confidentiality agreement exists relating to the information. It is not applicable to colleagues within an organisation/bound under the same confidentiality. If the person who wrote the email wanted it to remain private they should have ensured it was not printed or better still never have written it in the first place (I'm sure the IT department with have full email access and rights to read anything sent from a company email account, as will certain levels of management).

It's worth noting that the information is still not in the public domain as it has remained within the organisation. This is neither a matter of ethics nor privacy IMO. I think your Wife's actions were entirely appropriate.

 

[CMAC]

Indeed - but don't want to discuss the actual situation as it is very sensitive. My wife is just a little worried that Rachel will use as further 'evidence' to support her case the fact that her private Email to Sarah was read.

utter nonsense, tell her not to worry.

A private email is taken out of the system and printed hard copy and left in a public area, perfectly acceptable and legal, and anything else you want to think of, that she read the email. Passing to Team Leader was also the right thing to do.

There is nothing wrong with Rachel 'whistle blowing' and there is nothing wrong with your wife reading it in a public place.


The statement by chelteham from his work email refers to his internal email system- everyone has different rules. Ours states the company has the right to interrogate its own email system and quite rightly so, its not illegal.

Rachel is either a moaner, a mole sent to report, or a genuine whistle blower. There is a process and procedure in place for these eventualities in the NHS and it sounds like she is following them.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

utter nonsense, tell her not to worry.

A private email is taken out of the system and printed hard copy and left in a public area, perfectly acceptable and legal, and anything else you want to think of, that she read the email. Passing to Team Leader was also the right thing to do.

There is nothing wrong with Rachel 'whistle blowing' and there is nothing wrong with your wife reading it in a public place.


The statement by chelteham from his work email refers to his internal email system- everyone has different rules. Ours states the company has the right to interrogate its own email system and quite rightly so, its not illegal.

Rachel is either a moaner, a mole sent to report, or a genuine whistle blower. There is a process and procedure in place for these eventualities in the NHS and it sounds like she is following them.

Good words of advice sir - many thanks. I know which of the above alternatives is most likely but shall keep my own counsel on that.

 

[lex!]

She did absolutely the right thing in reading the email, it's always better to be informed. It's up to the sender to ensure confidentiality rather than just leave it lying around on a printer. I probably would not have handed it to anyone else, would have kept it or binned it, having gleaned what I wanted to know. I have previously found out when, on a plan left on a printer, I would be losing my job after all the work was being sent 'offshore'. Not great, but no one told me directly, and it put me in a better place to deal with it.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Interesting dilemma - it was obviously a private e mail at first and was supposed to be kept private but carelessness put it into the public domain and even though it's still a private e mail but human curiosity will always mean it will be read

Once it's read it's then whether or not the content of the e mail is passed around to people ?

 

[patricks148]

THB, if they were careless enough to leave it on a printer tough!

had a similar situation myself, but in that case, the person in question emailed the whole company by mistake, so everyone saw it.

made the sender look a right evil witch

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you want to keep it private between you and a manager, DON'T print it off and leave it in a public area. I would have read it too to be honest. Forearmed is forewarned and all that

 

[Scrindle]

As soon as it was printed out it entered the public domain. Most employment contracts contain clauses to the effect that work email can and may be monitored anyway so, unless it was an official HR complaint, it was pretty stupid to put it in an email in the first place let alone print it out, in my opinion.

Your wife did the same thing I would have done, particularly since it was about her personally.