UK COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM HOSPITAL Hospital Computers Stolen During Raid (from This Is Lancashire):
"Hospital computers stolen during raid
By Paul Keaveny

COMPUTER equipment worth thousand of pounds and thought to contain important medical information has been stolen from the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Thieves stole laptop computers from the hospital's cardiology department and digital information screens have been taken from orthopedics.

It is thought the cardiology computers may contain information on patients' pacemaker settings.
continued...

A cardiology patient, at the hospital on Monday said: 'The cardiology unit had been broken into over the weekend and a number of laptop computers were stolen'

Police believe the thieves broke into the unit overnight last Saturday.

It is thought they may have broken in through a window in the reception area.


It is estimated that about £3,000 worth of equipment was stolen.

Heather Edwards, head of communications at the hospital, said: 'It appears that over the weekend we had three LCD screens stolen from one of the waiting areas in orthopedics. They are used for health promotion, information and advertising and do not contain clinical information.

'Some computer equipment has also gone from cardiology.

'To start with, some of the staff were concerned but we have been able to verify that patient care will not be effected and their health will not be compromised."

She said that some members of staff had been anxious that the stolen computers may be the only sources of important information.

But the hospital has now discovered that the there are back-up files to which staff can refer.

A police spokesman said: "We are looking into a theft at the hospital that happened over the weekend."

A £1.4 million refurbishment of two wards, including a cardiology ward, is due be completed by December.

The renovations will create private bays for patients, instead of the current open, 28-bed ward."