In a recent cyber security incident, a breach was reported in a mobile platform utilized by South Australian local health networks. This breach resulted in the deletion of a folder containing “health information” from 121 patients. The breach affected a third-party provider, Personify Care, which serves as the foundation for the ‘Digital Patient Pathways’ mobile app used by local health networks across SA Health. This app is primarily employed to communicate information about patient care.
SA Health clarified that this was deemed as an “isolated data incident,” impacting the personal, medical, and legal documents of the 121 SA Health patients using Digital Patient Pathways at Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN). Fortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that the data was downloaded or copied, indicating that it was solely deleted.
Personify Care is in the process of notifying all 121 affected individuals
The breach was identified within two hours of the unauthorized access occurring, and both SA Health and Personify Care worked collaboratively to resolve the issue. Personify Care is in the process of notifying all 121 affected individuals regarding the breach of their health information.
SA Health further noted that the affected folder contained additional data, including the names and phone numbers of 12,624 patients, which were used for inviting them to join the Digital Patient Pathways system. However, it’s important to highlight that this dataset did not include any health information.
Personify Care has sought external assistance to address the breach, and SA Health has reported the incident to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for necessary actions and investigations.
