GREAT Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust have taken remedial action after the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found them in breach of the Data Protection Act.

GREAT Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust have taken remedial action after the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found them in breach of the Data Protection Act.

Great Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust (PCT) informed the ICO of the theft of two desktop computers containing sensitive personal data relating to over 1,000 occupational therapy patients and staff members.

The data included information about people's physical or mental health and, in some cases, details about their trade union membership.

The personal information was held on the computers rather than on a network server and was not password protected. The premises did not have an intruder alarm system, the internal office doors did not have security locks and the computers were not protected with any form of encryption software.

A formal undertakings hasnow been signed by the PCT, committing them to take a number of steps to ensure that personal data is processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act. The PCTs will ensure adequate security measures are in place to prevent unauthorised access to personal data, that any personal data required to be held on a portable device is suitably encrypted and staff are aware of the policies for the storage and use of personal data.

Failure to meet the terms of the Undertakings is likely to lead to enforcement action by the ICO. A copy of the Undertakings can be downloaded from: