A woman who found two courier bags containing patients ' medical records on a busy road in Devon has said she was " absolutely horrified " . Jo Bell , from Dawlish , spotted the bags on the A379 near Powderham Castle , near Exeter , on Wednesday afternoon . She said they appeared to have been in transit from Torbay Hospital to the Royal Devon and Exeter ( RD&E ) Hospital . The RD&E NHS Foundation Trust said it was " deeply concerned " the records had been mislaid . It said it was carrying out an " urgent investigation " into the matter . ' Hard to believe ' Continue reading the main story Start Quote You ca n't believe that people you trust with your life are going to leave these lying in a road Jo Bell Mrs Bell said after she found the bags she decided to take them home with her and discovered that one of them was " partly opened . " " You could see all the files inside , " she told BBC Radio Devon . " I was appalled . These were actual living people who were having treatment at the hospital . " I was absolutely horrified . You ca n't believe that people that you trust with your life , your health , everything like that , are going to leave these lying in a road . " The bags contained eight patients ' confidential medical records . One patient from Paignton , whose medical records were among those found , said : " I find it hard to believe . I 'm shocked . " How the hell have they done that ? I 'd like an explanation . I am extremely annoyed . " They appeared to have been requested by the RD&E for clinics due to take place there later this month . When Mrs Bell called the hospital it sent someone to collect them . ' Deeply concerned ' The RD&E Trust said : " We recovered two packs of confidential patient notes that were destined for the RD&E from Torbay Hospital . " 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 said patient confidentiality was an issue it took " very seriously " and the trust was " deeply concerned " the packages had been found . The South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust , which manages Torbay Hospital , echoed the sentiments . It confirmed a joint investigation with the RD&E was taking place and said : " The patient information referred to relates to a small number of patients . " While that does n't detract from the seriousness of the incident , it does add some context . " These patients will be contacted directly as part of a full and thorough investigation . " The Information Commissioner 's Office , which is responsible for investigating data protection breaches , said : " We have recently been made aware of a possible data breach involving a small number of medical records in Devon . " We are now making enquiries into the circumstances of the alleged breach before deciding what action , if any , needs to be taken . " ;