NHS Trust fires 15 staff for unauthorised access to Nottingham attack victims' records

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed that 15 staff members have been terminated after an internal probe revealed they accessed the medical records of the June 2023 stabbing victims - students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar and their grandfather Ian Coates - without a valid purpose. The trust also issued 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings, while two investigations concluded with no action.

Authorities including the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the General Medical Council, the Information Commissioner’s Office and Nottinghamshire Police have been alerted to the breaches. To prevent future incidents, the trust is testing a new system that automatically detects suspicious record access and has rolled out a "Your Responsibility, Your Actions, Their Privacy" campaign to educate employees on data protection.

The dismissals were welcomed by the victims' families but described as a "kick in the teeth" after earlier, smaller actions. Ongoing inquiries are also examining unauthorised access to the files of surviving victims and similar breaches in the Ministry of Justice and probation services. The broader public inquiry, led by retired judge Deborah Taylor KC, continues to examine systemic failures surrounding the attacks.