A SENIOR hospital manager has been suspended after the theft of a laptop containing the personal data of thousands of patients.

A SENIOR hospital manager has been suspended after the theft of a laptop containing the personal data of thousands of patients.

The details, including names, dates of birth and treatment plans, were taken from the manager's car in the Borders region of Scotland earlier this month.

A spokesman for Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust said a police investigation had been launched.

Peter Murphy, chief executive of the trust, wrote to apologise to the affected patients and said there was a “very small chance” that patient details could be accessed.

The employee has not been named.