Health bosses have advised workers to contact their banks

A computer containing personal information was taken from the Royal Cornwall Hospital (RCH) at Treliske near Truro on Monday night.

Staff at the Primary Care and Partnership Trusts are also affected.

Workers are being told to contact their banks, change PIN numbers and passwords and keep an eye on bank statements.

'Opportunistic thief'

Bob Schofield of the Royal Cornwall Hospital HHS Trust said: "Our advice from the police is that it is highly unlikely that the computer was stolen for the purpose of committing identity theft.

"It is more likely to be a simple matter of an opportunistic thief, stealing something which was to hand."

The trust said no patient information was stored on the computer which was password protected and was stolen from a locked and alarmed office.

It said in a statement: "Although it is believed the theft was opportunistic and not for the purpose of obtaining the information stored on the computer, as a precaution staff have been advised to contact their banks to advise them of the theft and to consider registration with a fraud prevention service".

But health worker Mary, who heard on Wednesday that her details were on the database, said she was concerned.

She said: "I am quite upset.

"You don't know that 12 months down the line someone is going to take a credit card out with your details and you are going to get a bill through the post."