I work for the NHS and my confedentiality has been breached... need advice

dan2312

Hi, im currently off work with stress and bereavement,  on my 7th week off

Now this could be nothing and a lucky guess from a collegue, (this person is renound for spending lot of time with managers.)

but as i was collecting my child from school today, he was also collecting his children from the same school, i was waiting outside school gate and he passed by with quick pleasantries etc, then he asked "how am i feeling?" i just said "no better."

Now, no one knows why i am off sick in work bar the managers, i have handed in my sick note to management in an envelope away from prying eyes. 

Ive never said anything on facebook, not been on since i have been off, i don't have an account on twitter, instagram etc.

So someone has told him why i am off, i believe. do i mention it to the managers? what do i do?

k3lvc

Just to be clear on this - you've been off for 7 weeks, you bump into a colleague and they ask 'how are you feeling' and your immediate thought is that your data has been breached ??

Is that not just normal conversation ? or am I missing something ?

Sandtree

Seems a perfectly normal Q when you bump into someone thats been off sick... dont need to know the reason to ask if someone is feeling better. 

Most places I've worked as well... if someone is off for 7 weeks then the rumour mill will be going even without data breaches

Dakta

Sounds like a complete non-event, if someone disappeared off my team, i'd presume even without asking that they were sick or some personal reasons and if I saw them I'd ask how they are as part of normal conversation.

"Now this could be nothing"

From what you've posted, it's nothing. From what you've said they said, they've not actually got any information that could have been breached. The fact they seem to think you are unwell is just a reasonable assumption you can make from someone dissapearing from work for a number of weeks.

Obviously if he asked how you were coping with 'xyz' it might have been different.

comeandgo

Is there part of your story missing?  Some people ask how you are just for something to say, or just to be pleasant or maybe they care.  You can not jump to assuming there has been a breach.

LippyDoodle

Not sure why you said,"No better" if you didn't want anyone to know anything. 

Dakta

Good point actually, that was confirming you were unwell. If you didn't want people to know you were sick you've technically just breached

TELLIT01

Even if you are working from home, as part of a team your absence would eventually be noticed by other people.  One or more may well have raised your lack of presence with a manager and simply been told you are off .  There is no logical reason, other than sickness, for that length of absence.  Don't create an issue where there is none.

74jax

I've never given it a second thought but people have asked me how I'm feeling, and I usually say 'fine thanks how are you' even if I'm not fine.

I would never say 'no better' to anyone from work who isn't a manager but that is just me. 

Abbafan1972

Another non-story....

elsien

Now you see, cynic that I am, I’d be thinking suspension. Guessing you’re off sick is positive in that context.