A investigation by the Liberal Democrats into how the NHS handles confidential information has revealed that the details of up to 10,000 patients could have been compromised through thefts and loses.

Announcing the results, which were gathered through a number of freedom of information requests, Lib Dem shadow health secretary Norman Lamb said the health secretary should fundamentally re-examine how personal data is protected.

The study found a catalogue of problems with the NHS, ranging from memory stick losses, to laptop thefts, to CDs going missing, packages being lost in the post, and workers leaving data and documents in a public place. In one incident a member of staff had their car stolen, along with 80 service user files and the keys to 16 properties.

Patients have a right to expect their personal information will be treated with the utmost care," said Lamb.

"We already know from the Information Commissioner that the NHS is among the worst offenders for data loss, reporting as many incidents as the entire private sector. There must be a fundamental re-examination of how the NHS deals with personal data. The NHS should regard lapses of standards of care as potential serious misconduct."

The Liberal Democrats have recommended five government priorities for data handling, including that the NHS set standards for the protection of data on mobile devices, and that as a general principle patient records should not be stored in this way.

"The government should formally abandon its plans for a national patient database," said the Lib Dems.