Information Commissioner's Office has fined a NHS trust £175,000, after it published a top secret report online, which contained detailed information regarding more than 1,000 of its staff.

Detailed reports suggest that Torbay Care Trust last April revealed the equality and diversity details, which included information regarding their 1,373 employees’ on its website, which included their names, their date of birth, national insurance number, views regarding religion and also their sexual orientation.

Rather, worse was that the information was online for more than 19 weeks. The website was visited an estimated 21,000 times during this duration, the reports alone were looked upon by more than 300 viewers.

Stephen Eckersley, the ICO's head of enforcement, affirmed that the foul play could have been prevented and it was very much avoidable.

Stephen Eckersley said, “Not only were they giving sensitive information out about their employees, but they were also leaving them exposed to the threat of identity fraud”.

He further added that the organizations were allowed to publish on their sites equality and diversity information. However, they were never permitted to include in the reports detailed information regarding the employees, including their personal data.

Such a case was administered last June even, when Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust were fined £325,000.