NHS trust loses decades of maternity records in routine IT mishap
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust accidentally overwrote maternity data from 2011-2022 during a routine IT task, prompting a police review of its impact on the Operation Perth investigation.
During routine IT work on 18 August, a human error at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust led to the overwriting of maternity records covering September 2011 to November 2022, wiping the history of who viewed each file. The trust restored clinical information such as notes and test results but could not recover the access logs. Nottinghamshire Police were informed on 4 September and visited the trust on 7 September to determine whether any criminal conduct occurred and to explore data recovery options.
Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin said no crime has yet been identified and that the impact on Operation Perth, the investigation into over 500 maternal deaths and injuries, remains under review. Current patients’ data were unaffected and no inappropriate access was reported. The trust has reported the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office and pledged technical improvements, while the Nottingham Maternity Family Group expressed deep concern over the repeated data failures.
Why it matters
The loss hampers a major inquiry into maternal deaths and raises concerns about NHS data security.
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