Revealed: The Great Hospital Heist
Updated on 05 June 2008
More4 News/Channel 4 News online uncover a multimillion pound thieving spree across England's hospital wards.
- The Great Hospital Heist: full list
- The Great Hospital Heist: top 5 most unusual
- The Great Hospital Heist: top 5 most expensive
Millions of pounds worth of medical equipment is being stolen from hospital wards each year, an investigation by More4 News and Channel 4 News online has revealed.
The thefts range from high-end kit being "stolen to order" by organised gangs, to seemingly useless equipment being taken by opportunist criminals.
One Manchester hospital says thefts have become so damaging it has vowed to spend an extra £300,000 to upgrade CCTV systems, rather than patient care.
The survey of more than 100 hospital trusts throughout England has also revealed that more than 500 computers and laptops have being stolen from hospitals in the past three years, raising fresh fears about the safety of confidential patient records.
Experts have told More4 News that much of the equipment will be stolen for sale overseas.
Among the thefts were £78,000 of cardiovascular equipment from Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridgeshire, £114,771 of gastrology from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, and £41,000 in ultrasound machines from West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth.
Among the thefts were £78,000 of cardiovascular equipment from Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridgeshire, £114,771 of gastrology from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, and £41,000 in ultrasound machines from West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth.
While more bizarre thefts included eight hospital beds being taken from Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral at a cost of £4,280, and 800 units of Botox being taken from York Hospital, at a value of £3,000.
One hospital in Manchester says the thefts have become so damaging that it has vowed to spend an extra £300,000 to upgrade its CCTV systems, rather than on patient care.
Stolen to order
Professor Michael Levi, an organised crime expert at Cardiff University, told More4 News: "It's logical that these items would not be being stolen unless there was a market for them, and that's likely to be abroad.
"The theft of expensive hospital equipment is a problem but it's something that could happen without reaching such a degree that it becomes an obvious national issue."
'These crimes will be a mix of opportunity thefts of things such as lap tops and stethoscopes - to much more expensive kit which is stolen to order.'Andrew Greenslade, crime expert
It is impossible to put a precise value on how much equipment has been stolen, as not every trust was able to put a price on the kit that had been stolen.
Andrew Greenslade, a crime expert and former special branch officer, told More4 News: "It is extremely valuable kit as there is a ready made market for it - mainly overseas.
"Security in hospitals has been stepped up since around 2006, when these sorts of organised thefts became more common, but because of the necessary open nature of hospitals they can never be completely wiped out.
"These crimes will be a mix of opportunity thefts of things such as lap tops and stethoscopes - to much more expensive kit which is stolen to order."
Public places
Aside from actual medical equipment, a total of 522 laptops were stolen or lost from wards in the past three years, the More4 News investigation revealed.
Christie Hospital in Manchester, one of Europe's leading cancer centres, had nine laptops, 33 computers and three personal digital assistants stolen, with a total value of more than £87,000.
'Sadly criminals do not respect the fact that we are a cancer hospital, they just see us as a target.'Alison Norman, Christie Hospital
Alison Norman, the hospital's director of nursing and governance, told More4 News that the hospital had decided this week to invest more than £300,000 in a new CCTV system to try and combat the thefts. It is money that could have been spent on patient care.
She told More4 News: "Hospitals are going to be vulnerable, because like schools and universities they are public places, and we have to allow people to get in.
"We didn't have the laptops stolen from the back seat of someone's car, and they were not left on a bus, they were behind locked doors and in protected locations.
"That is why we have decided to up the balance on what we spend on security - and it's money that we would have liked to spend towards new theatre equipment.
"Sadly criminals do not respect the fact that we are a cancer hospital, they just see us as a target - and the tragedy is that many of these computers will just have the chip taken out of them - and it will be sold down the pub for £10.
The hospital did admit that thousands of patient records - including test results - were on the laptops that were stolen, but said it's £40,000 encryption software ensured they could not be accessed by the thieves.
The lists contained the patient's name, hospital number, some addresses and some clinical information relating to test results.
Staff carelessness
As part of our survey Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust,
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and Southend University Hospital also disclosed to have computer equipment stolen that included patient records in the past three years.
Although it is understood the records were also password protected.
'It is essential that staff and patients need to feel that their hospital is a safe place to be and not an environment riddled with crime.'Norman Lamb, Lib Dem health spokesman
But Norman Lamb MP, Liberal Democrat shadow secretary of state for health, said that with more than 500 computers and laptops stolen or lost, the real loss of patient records could be much higher.
He told More4 News: "The loss of medical data will have horrifying implications for patient confidentiality.
"With the national database already putting patient records at risk of being accessed by others, we desperately need a change of culture in handling sensitive patient information.
"Blatant staff carelessness must be tackled and could potentially be treated as serious misconduct.
"Missing or stolen equipment can stop a hospital functioning smoothly as staff will not have all the tools they need to do the job. Replacing them costs both money and time.
"Overall, it is essential that staff and patients need to feel that their hospital is a safe place to be and not an environment riddled with crime."
