AUDITOR-GENERAL Dr Maxine Cooper has revealed poor data systems have placed the privacy of thousands of patient records at risk at this morning’s Public Accounts Committee hearing on the Canberra Hospital data scandal.

For almost two hours Dr Cooper was questioned by the committee, comprising Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur (chair), Labor’s John Hargreaves (deputy chair) and Liberal Brendan Smyth, with Liberal and Greens health spokespersons Jeremy Hanson and Amanda Bresnan respectively in attendance.

Dr Cooper was questioned about her sweeping report into the scandal where it was found 11,700 files were tampered with and, while one executive had admitted responsibility, that it was the work of more than one person.

Dr Cooper was joined by acting director of performance audits and corporate services Brett Stanton and director of financial audits Bernie Sheville, who were involved in preparing the report.

The auditor-general told the committee that managerial pressure on executives to improve the performance of the emergency department led to a senior hospital executive tampering with thousands of patient records between 2009 and 2012 in an attempt to improve the department’s performance reports on waiting times.

The committee heard that the senior executive, who has been stood down from her position, used four generic log-ins to access the data system and make changes.

Dr Cooper and her team believe it is likely that other staff members made changes to patient information, but the poor quality of record keeping made it almost impossible to identify others involved.

Mr Stanton added that the manipulation of data by an employee could take “a matter of mere seconds”.

The hearing became heated when Mr Smyth asked for names of other employees listed in the report who were found altering data, which resulted in his fellow committee members cutting him off and Dr Cooper refusing to provide the names publicly and reiterating the difficulty of targeting employees with the current system.

Dr Cooper confirmed that a number of hospital staff agreed with concerns raised by the executive at the centre of the scandal who says she was pressured into doctoring the data because of feelings of “fear and isolation.”

However, Dr Cooper said poor system access in the emergency department could have wider implications beyond the data-doctoring scandal.

“I recall a doctor saying to me, ‘if I wanted to I could find out the last time you went to hospital, and why’,” she said.

“There are risks to the privacy and confidentiality of patient information.”

She suggested better communication with health agencies and further audits would benefit the hospital going forward.

The hearing will continue tomorrow morning, when Chief Minister and Minister for Health Katy Gallagher will face questioning by the committee.