15 NHS staff dismissed for snooping on Nottingham stabbing victims' records
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has sacked 15 staff and issued 15 final written warnings over unlawful access to victims' medical records.
NHS sacks 15 over illegal access to stabbing victims' files
Fifteen NHS employees have been dismissed for improperly accessing the medical records of the Nottingham stabbing victims, The Independent reports, bringing the total number of sackings to 15 since the investigation began.
Grandfather Ian Coates and students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane in 2023. During its investigation, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) confirmed on Saturday that alongside the dismissals it has also issued 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings. Doctors, nurses, registered healthcare professionals and other staff were among those investigated.
The three victims' families were informed of the latest update this week, the trust said.
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at NUH, said: "There is simply no excuse for accessing the records of a patient without a legitimate reason and I hope this sends a really clear message — we will investigate and we will take action."
Shehmar added: "To lose a loved one in the way that the families of Ian, Grace and Barnaby have is heartbreaking enough. I am so sorry that they have had this further compounded by the actions of these staff members."
The trust said it would continue to investigate inappropriate access to the records and take further action where necessary. NUH is also introducing a new detection system designed to flag possible data breaches, alongside staff education measures on appropriate record access.
Sir Jim Mackey, head of NHS England, announced in September that staff suspected of unlawfully accessing patient records would be suspended immediately and have their access to health service computer systems revoked. He warned at the time that there had been "too many cases" of workers "abusing" trust, and that "snooping" could cost staff their careers and result in a criminal record.
Mackey wrote to all NHS trusts demanding the new approach be implemented in order to protect patients from further breaches.
The Nottingham case is one of several high-profile incidents in recent months. In May, it emerged that dozens of staff at University Hospitals of Liverpool Group had accessed the records of victims of the 2024 Southport attack, which left three girls dead and 10 others injured. Records belonging to a three-year-old boy injured after falling into a crocodile pit in Cambridgeshire in June were also viewed by approximately 40 hospital staff.
Source: The Independent