Reece Kershaw, the Northern Territory's Police Commissioner and soon-to-be federal police chief, has admitted some of his officers inappropriately accessed the private medical records of a public servant.

Key points: NT Police Commissioner admits his officers breached the privacy of a NT health worker

NT Police Commissioner admits his officers breached the privacy of a NT health worker Department of Health denies leaking the confidential information

Department of Health denies leaking the confidential information Unions and doctors' group call for an explanation from both NT Police and the Health Department

But NT Police won't say if the department the man worked for was involved, nor if the officers responsible have been disciplined.

Luke Horsfall, 34, worked for the NT Department of Health since 2004 but has since had his employment terminated — he claims unfairly.

Mr Horsfall was a member of a gym in Alice Springs that was available only to NT Government employees.

He accidentally discovered the gym's committee members — comprised of senior police and public servants — discussing his health issues after he went to the Alice Springs emergency department early one morning.

"I came back to an email chain that had multiple police members," he said.

"I was accidentally [copied] in on the email chain about my gym membership, and I was barred basically for being psychotic, schizophrenic, all sort of diagnoses that weren't my medical diagnoses."

'Apology not enough'

In a letter to Mr Horsfall, Mr Kershaw conceded an internal investigation by the Special References Unit found Mr Horsfall's privacy had been breached.

Northern Territory police chief Reece Kershaw will become the next AFP Commissioner. ( ABC News: Luke Stephenson )

"The investigation established a breach of your privacy and as such the complaint is sustained," he wrote.

The Commissioner apologised to Mr Horsfall and said the breach had been referred to the Police Standards Command.

NT Police declined an interview and would not tell the ABC what, if any, disciplinary action had been taken against the officers involved.

But an email to Mr Horsfall from Detective Sergeant Wayne Newell from the Special References Unit showed he believed he "had identified possible criminal offences and submitted a brief of evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)".

"The advice received from the DPP was that no criminal charges should be laid," Detective Sergeant Newell wrote.

"I have been advised that three members are subject to internal police disciplinary action."

Mr Horsfall said the Commissioner's apology was not enough.

"They need to be held to account," he said.

The DPP declined to comment.

Questions go unanswered

NT Police did not answer questions put by the ABC about how the officers learned about Mr Horsfall's medical history or whether the Department of Health was complicit in leaking information about its own employee.

The Police Commissioner apologised to Mr Horsfall. ( Supplied )

Mr Horsfall said he believed his employer, the Central Australian Health Service (CAHS), which is part of the NT Department of Health, illegally provided his information to the gym committee members.

"Clinicians at the Alice Springs emergency department have divulged my private presentations, specifically relating to mental health where I've sought treatment in my private time," he said.

"I've never had any mental health issues within work hours."

A spokesperson for CAHS said it could not comment on the case as Mr Horsfall was pursuing the matter through the courts.

Correspondence from the department to Mr Horsfall showed it denying any breaches of his confidentiality.

"It has been determined that there is insufficient evidence to support your allegation of a privacy breach by Alice Springs Hospital," the department's manager of information and privacy wrote.

But another letter addressing an alleged breach of workplace discipline from a senior manager to Mr Horsfall detailed 12 dot points relating to his behaviour while he was seeking treatment from the hospital as a patient.

Mr Horsfall said he believed that letter showed management had seen his private medical files.

He said he believed management would often go into the private files of its employees if they "had a beef" with staff.

Union, doctors call for action

Community and Public Sector Union NT secretary Kay Densley said Mr Horsfall's matter would "send a shiver down the spine" of public servants.

The Department of Health denies breaching Mr Horsfall's privacy. ( ABC News: Steven Schubert )

"Anyone who hears this story will be horrified, and rightly so," she said.

"I think the NT Health Department and the police need to come clean about what's going on and how this happened."

Rural Doctors Association of Australia chief executive Peta Rutherford said such privacy breaches could undermine confidence among the public.

"If people in the general public can't be confident that their records and their privacy aren't 100 per cent respected, it has huge ramifications in relation to a willingness to access health services," she said.

"It can't be something that's just swept to the side and shoulders shrugged."