Nova Scotia Health Confirms Privacy Breach at South Shore Regional Hospital
A nursing employee at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater accessed personal health information without a valid reason in August 2025, prompting Nova Scotia Health to notify 54 affected individuals.
Nova Scotia Health has confirmed that a nursing employee at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater accessed personal health information without a valid reason in August 2025. The unauthorized access involved the records of patients and potentially others who were not treated at the hospital.
The breach was identified through routine audits of patient electronic health records conducted by Nova Scotia Health. Following the discovery, 54 notifications were sent to individuals whose personal health information was compromised. Affected individuals received letters in August informing them of the unauthorized access to their information, and Nova Scotia Health issued an apology to those impacted.
Nova Scotia Health spokesman Brendan Elliott stated that discipline for such breaches can include termination. However, he noted that specific details regarding the disciplinary action taken against the involved nursing employee cannot be made public due to the Personal Health Information Act.
This incident follows previous privacy breaches within the provincial health system. In April 2024, 2,690 people were notified of a similar breach involving a former employee at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital. Additionally, eight employees were previously found accessing records unnecessarily related to the Portapique mass casualty event.