An independent review will investigate how NSW Health specialists communicate with GPs after more than 1000 patient records were found dumped in a bin in Sydney.
The massive privacy breach, revealed after the follow-up letters were discovered outside an apartment block in Ashfield on April 11, involves patients from public and private hospitals.
A total of 768 outpatients from Royal North Shore Hospital, Gosford Hospital and Cancer Centre, and Dubbo Hospital Cancer Centre were named in the letters.
More than 700 documents related to an estimated 300 patients from six private NSW clinics.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant on Friday reassured patients that clinicians at the affected facilities had reviewed the correspondence and taken any necessary action.
Oncologists from Dubbo Hospital Cancer Centre have since contacted eight patients to "bring forward some visits and also to facilitate some referrals".
"It is unacceptable that there are delays in communication because we know that this communication is an important component of keeping the clinical team up to date," Dr Chant said.
"So for that, I'm very sorry."
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the documents had been discarded by a woman working as a sub-contractor for medical communications company Global Transcription Services (GTS).
The woman is a separated mother-of-one who has "suffered some degree of medical issues", Mr Hazzard said.
"Suffice to say, that would be appear to be the reason that she didn't post the letters and she disposed of them in a recycling bin in a very inappropriate way."
He has ordered a complete independent review by KPMG of the transcription services used by public health facilities in the state's 15 different health districts, given there are 13 million outpatients across NSW each year.
"There might be issues why we have to continue with envelopes and hard copy, although I must say I am not particularly attracted to that as the health minister in the current circumstances," he said.
Opposition leader Walt Secord said the review of the "bungle" should be expanded to include private facilities, and requested any results and recommendations to be made public.
He said it was "absolutely frightening" and "extremely distressing" medical records had been handled this way.
GTS has been contacted for comment.
HOSPITALS & CLINICS AFFECTED BY DOCUMENT DUMP
* Royal North Shore Hospital Outpatient Clinics
* Gosford Hospital Outpatients
* Dubbo Hospital Cancer Centre
* Chris O'Brien Lifehouse providing services to Dubbo Cancer Clinic
* Northern Cancer Institute in Frenchs Forest & St Leonards
* Sharp Neurology at North Shore Private Hospital
* Southside Cancer Care Centre
* Strathfield Retina Clinic
* The Woolcock Institute
