A FORMER 111 call centre adviser has been found guilty and fined for illegally accessing the medical records of a child and his family.

Martin Swan, 56, worked at the call centre in Southall when he illegally accessed the records.  

A complaint was raised against Swan, following a disagreement during a 111 call over the distance to a medical centre.

It prompted him to access the records of the complainant, the complainant’s child and two other relatives without consent.

He proceeded to contact the father with accusations of falsifying events and was dismissed for gross misconduct in November 2016. He contacted the father once again in January 2017, threatening to report him for neglect.

When Swan, from Pinner, failed to attend the initial hearing in April 2018, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He surrendered to the warrant in January this year and appeared before Uxbridge magistrates last week.

He was fined £630 with a victim surcharge and court costs totalling £1,093.

Andy Curry, Head of Investigations at the Information Commission, said: “When seeking medical help, people should never have to think twice about how their information is handled and whether their patient records are secure.

“The NHS 111 helpline offers a valuable service and people need to trust that the handlers operating this service are being responsible with the details provided.”