Cornwall NHS breach helpline staff faced distress with little preparation

A review found that staff recruited at short notice to handle calls after a Cornwall NHS data breach faced distressed callers and safeguarding concerns with little preparation or support. It said the experience placed a significant emotional burden on the team, many of whom discovered their own data had been exposed while working on the helpline.

The breach stemmed from a spreadsheet published in response to a 2023 Freedom of Information request; its pivot tables exposed sickness absence and sensitive health information. The affected records included 7,715 trust staff and 288 non-trust workers. The helpline was planned to run for two weeks in December 2025 but continued for 11 weeks, until February 2026, as call volumes remained high.