Hospital loses staff pay details

The hospital said it had informed police of the incident

An investigation has been launched after an NHS hospital lost 20 years' worth of payroll data on its staff.

Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, south-east London, has informed police about the data, which was lost when a room was cleared for office space.

The data, believed to include National Insurance details, relates to staff employed between 1974 and 1996.

Nine NHS trusts in England have so far admitted losing a variety of information held on patients.

This follows a government security review last year and the disclosure that millions of child benefit claimant statistics were lost on two computer discs.

'Latest blunder'

In a statement, Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust said the information, contained on microfiche, had been due to be destroyed.

It said: "Although we are advised there is minimal risk that this data has fallen into the wrong hands, we feel it is important to inform existing and former employees of the incident."

Two weeks ago confidential papers detailing serious illnesses suffered by patients at two London hospitals were found in the street in the village of Northaw, Hertfordshire.

"This is the latest episode in a series of data blunders," said Geoff Martin, from the campaign group Health Emergency.

"It is a failure on a massive scale which could have serious implications for staff."

A helpline has been set up for staff on 020 8309 6247.