NEWS
SEN-eO1-S2 [P]
THE SENTINEL Monday November 26, 2012
Twenty computers disappear during staff office move ROBUST ACTION: Chief executive John van de Laarschot.
City care home scoops award STOKE-ON-TRENT’s biggest care home has scooped a top award for the way it supports its staff and helps their career development. Stadium Court residential and nursing home in Cobridge has won the Investors in People (IiP) Gold standard for demonstrating excellence in both aspects. Manager Vanessa Davies said: “We are a people-focused business and this award recognises the tremendous investment we put in to our staff to ensure we maintain the highest standards of care for our residents. “Our people are our best asset. We invest in them because we want them to love working for us and to continue to provide amazing, round-the-clock, high quality care for our residents and their families.” Stadium Court has 168 rooms and is run by Bupa. It was built on the site of a former dog track.
MISPLACED: Stoke-on-Trent City Council lost 20 tablet computers, seven are still missing. Inset, councillors Abi Brown, left, and Olwen Hamer.
Data blunders on the rise at council BY ALEX CAMPBELL alex.campbell@thesentinel.co.uk
BLUNDERING council officers lost 20 tablet computers while moving to a new office. The gadgets containing local authority documents went missing during office relocation – and were only reported as missing a fortnight later. Seven of the computers are still missing almost a year after the incident was investigated. The data breach is one of dozens recorded by Stoke-onTrent City Council, where officers were also rapped for sending an email to the entire staff with password details for a database containing residents’ benefit claims. Security records obtained by The Sentinel show 43 data breach alerts have been recorded since 2008, with at least four incidents deemed so serious they were referred to the Information Commissioner. The dossier of data blunders also reveals: ■ The birth parents of an adopted child were sent a letter containing the name and address of the youngster’s new family; ■ Documents containing residents’ personal information were sent to a sacked officer’s home address after she had been dismissed; ■ Two computers and a hard drive containing council records were found in a skip; ■ A ‘large number’ of records containing information on free school meals for children was lost. Last month, The Sentinel revealed how the cash-
strapped authority had been hit with a £120,000 fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). An investigation found a council solicitor sent 11 emails containing ‘highly sensitive’ information on a child’s care to the wrong address. The national data watchdog found the authority knew sensitive emails were regularly being sent without password protection, but took no action. Records also show the number of incidents is increasing – with three registered in 2008, compared to 13 already this year. The council insists it has learned from its mistakes and takes data breaches seriously. Councillor Abi Brown, leader of the Conservative group on the authority, said: “We would rightly expect officers to have a better handle on where equipment is when they are moving offices. It’s very worrying. “This does not help the public to feel reassured about the professionalism and security surrounding any confidential information they choose to give to the council.” Councillor Olwen Hamer, cabinet member for transformation and resources, said: “The council was recently the subject of an investigation by the Information Commissioner, which highlighted some weaknesses in its data and information management. “We acted swiftly and the weaknesses have been worked through, with more robust procedures put in place. “The Information Commissioner also notified the council
In brief CROSS HEATH: A company could face prosecution after a fly-tipping incident in Ashfields New Road, Cross Heath. Following a complaint, an officer from Newcastle Borough Council visited the location and found a large amount of goods had been dumped there. They included flooring, underlay, cardboard boxes, plastic sacks and containers, and refuse sacks. Most of the items were addressed to the same Newcastle-based company. The firm’s owner was interviewed and he said he had procedures in place for disposing of the waste, but could not produce any documents. Now the council is considering legal proceedings. A report drawn up by the council’s head of environmental health services states: “There is reason to believe that the owner deposited controlled waste on the land without a waste management licence authorising such a deposit. “He also failed to dispose of controlled waste otherwise than in accordance with a waste management licence.”
Local authority on course to balance books SAVINGS of more than £16.2 million have been banked in nine months through council budget cuts. Stoke-on-Trent City Council says the savings total shows it is on course to balance its books in 2012/13 – as officers and councillors prepare to reveal how they will save up to £23 million more next year. Records outlining the authority’s financial position at the end of the second quarter of the financial year show finance chiefs are currently predicting an overspend of almost £2 million this year. But they are expecting to avert the overspend by delaying projects and only filling vacant posts which are considered essential. The biggest funding pressures facing the authority include a £2.5 million overspend in children’s services due to soaring numbers of referrals for care. And the council is again more than £300,000 short of the amount it expected to raise from its car parks. The authority is due to set out another programme of major budget cuts this week. It follows cuts totalling more than £56 million over the last two years. Leaders will not find out the exactly how much the council has to save until the Government announces local government funding settlements in late December. Chief executive John van de Laarschot said: “Strong political leadership, combined with decisive action, provided a robust starting point to meet the challenges of the most severe financial settlement in recent history. “Huge uncertainty over the level of future resources still remains.”
3
that a training programme for all staff that handle personal data must be completed by the end of February 2013, and staff must subsequently receive regular refresher training. “New employees won’t be allowed to handle personal data unsupervised until they’ve received training. “I’d like to reassure residents
the council has taken extra security steps to protect personal information. “We will be keeping a very watchful eye on our information security to help prevent future data breaches.”
What do you think? Email us at letters@the sentinel.co.uk
THE SENTINEL ONLINE>>> To read more council stories go to www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/politics
BLURTON: Residents are being advised to only allow experts to repair broken appliances after a faulty washing machine sparked a kitchen fire. Crews were called to a house in Emsworth Road just before 11am on Saturday following reports of a blaze. The householder was outside when the fire service arrived. Brian Griffiths, station manager at Longton, said: “Anybody thinking of having repairs done to any domestic appliance should only use an approved electrician. We seem to having a trend of fires in kitchens with washing machines. “People are tending to keep hold of old appliances and get them repaired rather than having new, which is probably indicative of the current economic climate.”