The Royal Devon and Exeter hospital have said they are undertaking "an urgent investigation" after bags full of confidential medical records were found on the side of a busy road.
The two bags, containing eight patients' medical records, were found on the A379 near Powderham Castle by a woman on Wednesday afternoon.
The RD&E Trust have confirmed that the notes were being transported from Torbay Hospital to Exeter.
A representative said: "We understand that the notes were being transported via the trust's own courier service, which is used to carry confidential information between hospitals in the area.
"We are now undertaking an urgent investigation to ensure we fully understand the circumstances surrounding how these packages were mislaid in this way."
It is not clear yet how the documents ended up on the footpath but the trust said they have contacted each patient.
The Information Commissioner's Office, which is responsible for investigating data protection breaches, are now looking into the incident.
