How To Claim For A Sexual Health Clinic Data Breach

Having your personal information exposed after a sexual health clinic data breach can be deeply distressing and life-changing. When such a breach occurs because an organisation failed to protect your personal data, it can add another layer of frustration to an already difficult situation. It’s natural to feel unsure and worried as you navigate the mental health and financial consequences, but you may be able to claim compensation for the harm you suffered.

Key Takeaways

• In 2024, the healthcare sector reported 2,442 security incidents to the UK’s independent data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
• Sexual health clinics collect personal data to support diagnoses, treatments, and long-term care.
• Typically, sexual health clinics will handle information concerning a patient’s medical health, their orientation, and sexual activity.
• Breaches involving sexual health clinics could arise due to indiscreet verbal conversations by staff members, or emails and letters being sent to the wrong address.
• A sexual health clinic data breach can lead to psychological harm, stress, stigma and discrimination due to the sensitive personal data that is collected.

At UK Law, our advisors and panel of solicitors understand just how difficult this time can be. You may feel that your trust has been broken and don’t know where to turn. Thankfully, our friendly advisors are dedicated to providing high-quality, personalised guidance to people just like you.

As part of the free services that we offer, you could receive a free eligibility assessment to see if you can be connected with one of the expert No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel to help you claim data breach compensation. With decades of combined experience, one of them can help you pursue the payout that you deserve. You can get started with your claim as soon as you reach out today.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How To Claim For A Sexual Health Clinic Data Breach
2. What Information Is Recorded In A Sexual Health Clinic?
3. The Causes Of A Sexual Health Clinic Data Breach
4. How Much Sexual Health Data Breach Compensation Can I Get?
5. No Win No Fee Sexual Health Clinic Data Breach Claims
6. More Information

How To Claim For A Sexual Health Clinic Data Breach

To claim for a sexual health clinic data breach, you must be able to demonstrate that you were financially and/or psychologically impacted by an organisation’s failure to adhere to data protection laws. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 govern the processing of personal data.

With all this in mind, data breach claims involving sexual health clinics must be able to establish the following:

• There was a failure to abide by data protection laws
• This failure resulted in a breach that impacted your personal data
• You consequently experienced financial and/or psychological harm

The ICO defines a data breach as a security incident which compromises the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of personal information. Therefore, if you can demonstrate that a sexual health clinic exposed your personal data, leading to harm, you could make a data breach claim against them.

To learn more about personal data and how a breach might occur, please read on and contact one of our friendly advisors today.

What Information Is Recorded In A Sexual Health Clinic?

Sexual health and activity, orientation, and medical history are just some examples of information recorded in a sexual health clinic. This personal data is used to inform the care and treatment that a sexual clinic provides to its patients. Clinics collect many other forms of personal data, including:

• Your name
• Your date of birth
• Your address
• Your phone number

Owing to the nature of the care that they give, sexual clinics routinely need personal information that is more sensitive in nature. This special category data requires further protection and encompasses:

• Genetic data
• Biometric data
• Sex life and orientation
• Racial or ethnic origin information
• Data regarding your health

At UK Law, we understand that any exposure of this information due to a sexual health clinic data breach can cause worry and distress. If you’d like to discuss the specifics of your case in confidence, our advisors are here to help. So, please get in touch 24/7 for free, no-obligation guidance.

The Causes Of A Sexual Health Clinic Data Breach

Common causes of a sexual health clinic data breach include emails or letters sent to the wrong address, inadequate security measures, and a lack of data protection training. As such, the following scenarios show examples of incidents that could result in a potentially valid data breach claim:

• A member of staff sent an email to the wrong recipient, containing results from a sexual health test. This causes the affected patient to develop severe anxiety.
• Staff members at a sexual health clinic have a verbal conversation in front of members of the public about your medical history. This causes you serious distress and results in other patients discussing the information around you.
• A staff member fails to use BCC when sending an email about a new treatment for sexually transmitted infections. This allows other recipients to see your email address, which contains your full name and date of birth. You are left with anxiety after the disclosure.
• A device containing your genetic data is stolen after being left unattended in the reception area, resulting in unauthorised access to your medical records. This leaves you with long-term stress and forces you to pay out-of-pocket for therapy.

Please note that the above list is not exhaustive, and data breaches could arise in many different circumstances. To discuss your unique experience with one of our advisors, please get in touch today.

How Much Sexual Health Data Breach Compensation Can I Get?

In the UK, how much sexual health clinic data breach compensation you can get will be determined by the specific circumstances of the psychological and/or financial harm you endured. Data breach claims can award compensation for:

• Non-material damage: The psychological harm, such as PTSD, anxiety and depression. Payouts will consider the severity of the damage, its impact on your daily life, and the length of recovery.
• Material damage: The financial impact of the data breach.

Non-material damage is typically valued in line with the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Legal professionals widely use this publication as it contains compensation guidelines for many different types of harm.

All entries in the table below have been sourced from the Judicial College Guidelines, except for the first figure. They focus on general psychiatric damage and PTSD. Please note that they are merely guidelines and do not guarantee a payout for your claim.

Harm	Severity	Compensation Range
Multiple severe forms of harm with financial losses such as lost earnings, therapy expenses and home relocation costs	Severe	Up to £250,000+
Psychiatric Damage (a)	Severe; with a poor prognosis and future vulnerability	£66,920 to £141,240
Psychiatric Damage (b)	Moderately severe; Significant problems, such as with family relationships	£23,270 to £66,920
Psychiatric Damage (c)	Moderate; with marked improvement by trial and a good prognosis	£7,150 to £23,270
Psychiatric Damage (d)	Less severe; with consideration of length of disability	£1,880 to £7,150
PTSD (a)	Severe; with permanent effects on employment	£73,050 to £122,850
PTSD (b)	Moderately severe; with a better prognosis with some professional help	£28,250 to £73,050
PTSD (c)	Moderate; where any continuing effects will not be grossly disabling	£9,980 to £28,250
PTSD (d)	Less severe; where a full recovery may have been made within one to two years.	£4,820 to £9,980

Can Data Breach Compensation Cover Other Damages?

Yes, as touched on, sexual health data breach compensation can also cover material damage if you suffered financial loss. Material damage needs to have arisen as a direct result of the breach, such as:

• Loss in current or future earnings, bonuses, overtime pay, and workplace benefits.
• Mental health support from counselling or therapy, such as CBT.
• Additional home security costs.
• Relocating to a new address if the breach directly compromised the safety of your home.

This material damage must be supported by bank statements, invoices, and other financial documents to be claimed. To find out how a solicitor from our panel could help you gather this evidence, feel free to have a chat with one of our advisors.

No Win No Fee Sexual Health Clinic Data Breach Claims

Here at UK Law, our panel of solicitors has decades of experience supporting clients in No Win No Fee sexual health clinic data breach claims nationwide. This has given them the expertise needed to provide a complete, client-focused service that puts the needs of every claimant at the heart of the process.

Our team of advisors also works around the clock to promptly answer questions and provide prospective claimants with the information they need. They will go over your case to carefully review whether you have grounds to claim compensation with one of the specialist data breach solicitors from our panel.

All the solicitors on our panel work under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), so you can expect the following:

• No solicitor service fees upfront.
• No service fee to pay for your solicitor’s work at any stage of the claim.
• No solicitor fees in the event that your case is unsuccessful.

If your case wins, you will be obliged to pay your solicitor a small success fee from your compensation. The percentage of this fee is capped by law, so you’ll receive the majority.

As experts in sexual health clinic data breach claims, our panel of solicitors appreciate just how difficult a time this can be for their clients. If you’re connected with one of them, they will work tirelessly on your behalf, providing:

• Regular updates so you always know where your case stands.
• Support for your mental health by putting you in touch with therapists and other specialists.
• Clear answers for any questions you might have.
• Straightforward guidance on the claims process.
• Help with identifying and gathering evidence.
• Expert advocacy during negotiations to achieve a settlement that best reflects the harm you suffered.

Get In Touch With UK Law

Whether you have questions about this guide or want to start your sexual health clinic data breach claim today, you can get in touch with UK Law’s helpful team of advisors at any time during the week. All you have to do is:

• Call us on 020 3870 4868
• Contact us by filling out our online form
• Use our free live chat feature

More Information

To learn more about personal data breach claims, please see some of our other guides:

• Find out how to claim for a breach of sexual abuse data.
• Get help with making a social services data breach claim.
• See the following advice on dentist data breach compensation claims.

Additional external resources:

• Learn about when to get urgent help for mental health.
• Get help with who to complain to from this government resource.
• See the following advice on how to make a complaint to the ICO.

Thank you for reading our useful guide on how to claim after experiencing a sexual health clinic data breach.