HIGHLY confidential faxes about people with mental health problems have been mistakenly sent to a Bournemouth business over a period of 18 months.

Despite the business alerting officials to the problem, the documents have continued to arrive at the offices of Cole Valuations in Exeter Road at the rate of two or three a month.

It is the second serious breach of patient confidentiality to involve Dorset HealthCare Trust in the last few weeks. At the end of November, the Echo revealed that the trust had sent details of a man’s mental health problems, including suicide attempts and self-harm, to a stranger.

Business owner Barry Cole told the Echo: “We have tried everything in our power to stop them sending the faxes. We’re fed up with it.”

Director Andy Garrett said: “I’ve phoned so many times and emailed the trust’s complaints line to say it needs to stop, but it hasn’t.

“There’s a complete and utter lack of caring.”

Although the company has destroyed most of the faxes, which have come from both Dorset HealthCare Trust and the Borough of Poole, the Daily Echo has seen the latest two, both intended for Purbeck Community Mental Health Team.

The team has the same fax number as Cole Valuations, but with a different area code.

One of the faxes, from the health trust’s Wimborne Community Mental Health Team at Jessopp House, Mill Lane, includes full details of a man referred to mental health services, with the information that he is due to appear in court following allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards a 15-year-old.

The other fax, from Poole council, was seeking a copy of the Purbeck Community Mental Health Team’s assessment of a 26-year-old woman who had referred herself to Poole’s Gateway Service. The same request was re-sent from the Civic Centre Annexe a week later with a scrawled note: “Still not received – please fax asap.”

Mr Cole said the company had also received information such as doctors’ reports. One fax warned that a patient could die if she was given a particular drug. Another was headed “Urgent, urgent, urgent.” When the men contacted the sender, they were told to rip it up.

Other faxes from St Ann’s Hospital have contained information about patients self-harming and childhood abuse.

James Barton, director of Adult Mental Health Services, Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a very serious matter and we will take the strongest possible action against whoever is responsible for this breach of patient confidentiality.

“I have been in touch personally with Cole Valuations to apologise and find out what has happened. We are investigating how these confidential faxes could have been faxed to the wrong place.”

He added: “I have checked our complaints systems and spoken to relevant staff and cannot find any record of the trust having been contacted before.

“It is possible the firm may have contacted another number, as some of the faxes appear to have come from other organisations.”

Mr Barton added: “I would like to reassure the Echo and its readers that the trust regards patient confidentiality as a top priority. “All of our staff sign confidentiality agreements and we have clear systems in place for handling patient information but sadly this demonstrates how human error can cause things to go wrong.

“I would like to apologise unreservedly to any service users affected by this and we will be contacting them to apologise personally."

The trust’s IT department was certain it had not received any emails from Cole Valuations.

Cllr Peter Adams, cabinet member for adult social care at the Borough of Poole, pledged an “urgent and full review”.

He said in a statement: “Ensuring confidentiality of personal information is of the utmost importance to the Borough of Poole and we would like to apologise unreservedly for this error.”