More than 100 confidential GP patient notes were sent to a medical newspaper because of an administration blunder.

The forms, which name patients in the Chelmsford and Colchester area, were sent to Doctor, a weekly publication for GPs.

A branch office of SEMA, a private company which contracts doctors on behalf of the Benefits Agency, sent 24 pages of patient assessment monitoring forms to the advertising department last Friday - after dialling the wrong fax number.

As well as patients in Essex, the forms contained assessments by doctors working in Cambridge, Norwich, Peterborough and Southend.

The forms name all 103 patients, as well as giving their National Insurance numbers, the doctors' assessments, the doctors' names and their General Medical Council registration numbers.

A GP named on the forms, Dr Christine Kenney, said she was "appalled" by the error.

"Those are confidential facts and we all actually take quite a lot of trouble to make sure they stay confidential."

British Medical Association professional fees committee chairman, Dr Peter Holden, called for SEMA to be barred from working for the Benefits Agency.

Dr Holden demanded that ministers make a Parliamentary statement about the matter.

A SEMA spokeswoman said it had been an administrative error. The Doctor number was very similar to the intended recipient's fax number.

"Obviously, we are looking to make sure it doesn't happen again," she said.

By Louise Fuller

Reporter's e-mail: louise_fuller@thisisessex.co.uk

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