Woman shocked as Royal Mail sends sensitive medical records through post with no envelope

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A lifetime of medical records and other sensitive personal information was sent through the Royal Mail with no envelope – and said she feels severely let down that a stranger could have read them

A woman has been left “in shock” after all her sensitive medical records were sent through the Royal Mail – without an envelope or stamp.

India Hanning, 30, was sent a copy of her medical notes after a visit with a private rheumatologist.

These records covered her whole life, from childhood up until the age of 30, and included her date of birth, phone number, name and NHS number.

But she was left gobsmacked on May 11 when these notes dropped through her letterbox without an envelope – and could have been read by a stranger.

“I was in a state of shock, it was utter disbelief,” she told The Mirror. “It was just a thick bundle of pages folded in half.

“I spoke to the man at the sorting office, raging – I was so angry. He couldn’t guarantee me that nobody had read the documents.”

The incident, which saw some of India’s most personal information open to being read, shook the family’s trust in the Royal Mail.

The family discovered the letter had been sent through three separate Royal Mail sorting offices loose before arriving at India’s home.

The letter was put in an envelope by rheumatologist staff, but somehow came loose in the first sorting office in Manchester, where it was franked.

The letter made it all the way to India’s home because her address was printed on the top sheet – which could have been read through the original envelope’s window.

India’s mother Susan complained to the Royal Mail, who told her to chase them after 30 days if she hadn’t heard back.

Forty-nine days later, Susan had heard nothing back from the Royal Mail so asked for a response.

“The man I spoke to said ‘your complaint doesnt warrant a reply’,” Susan said. “It’s the treatment from them – it’s utter disrespect.”

Normally when Royal Mail staff spot a letter with no envelope, the item is put into a bag and sent on.

But this privacy measure failed in India’s case – and for some of the most private documents it is possible to imagine.

Susan then complained to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which oversees data privacy in the UK.

But ICO rules mean the Royal Mail is not responsible for data breaches if an item loses an envelope going through the post.

After The Mirror intervened, the Royal Mail apologised to the Hannings and offered £50 as a goodwill gesture.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “When an item of mail has come out of its envelope, the correct procedure is to place it in a bag for delivery, rather than delivering it loose.

“We are very sorry not to have followed that procedure on this occasion, and have contacted the customer to apologise.”