Investigation into data protection violations involving consultants in Satakunta concludes without charges

The prosecutor has concluded the preliminary investigation into the suspected data protection violations involving consultants used by the Satakunta welfare region. This decision follows the recommendation of the investigation leader.

In March, the Satakunta welfare region filed a request for investigation with the police, asking whether officials from the consulting company Savoa Partners had committed a crime while serving as consultants under a purchased service agreement. The welfare region began investigating potential inappropriate treatment and data breaches after a representative from Satakunta was interviewed by Yle’s MOT editorial team regarding the consulting company’s activities. Consequently, the welfare region suspended its collaboration with the consulting firm at the end of February.

The consultants’ role included training and supporting the implementation of a multidisciplinary teamwork approach, which granted them access to patient information. The investigation has been conducted under data protection crime allegations.

Ultimately, the investigation was closed without proceeding to charges. According to the announcement from the prosecutor’s office, the consultants were health care professionals and should not be considered external parties without a right to access patient data based on the evidence presented. Moreover, if the consultants had been deemed to be in an external position, any potential breach of privacy protection would have been minimal.

The prosecutor’s office stated that the Satakunta welfare region, following the guidelines from the Data Protection Ombudsman’s office, had issued a notice about the potential data breach, allowing affected individuals to report their cases. However, no one has come forward.