Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has made further dismissals following its investigation into inappropriate access to medical records belonging to Ian Coates, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber.
This now brings the total number of dismissals as part of the investigation to 15, alongside 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings. Staff involved in the investigation include doctors, nurses, registered healthcare professionals and other staff. In two cases, it was found that there was no case to answer, and no action was taken.
The families were contacted by the Trust this week to update them on the latest outcomes.
The Trust started thorough inquiries in 2025 to identify instances where access to records was illegitimate and considered inappropriate. Regulatory standards have been applied to all inquiries throughout to ensure a consistent and fair approach.
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.
“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 their grief has been further compounded by the actions of these staff members.
“We will continue to investigate inappropriate access to these records and take action as and where necessary. Alongside this, we are doing all we can to educate our staff on appropriate access and how to keep our patients’ records safe. We are also introducing a new system that will help detect possible data breaches.
“While the actions of these staff members are disappointing, we know that they represent a small number of our wider workforce. We know staff across the Trust are listening, learning and doing what they can to ensure that only lawful and justified access takes place in our hospitals.”
As part of the investigation, the Trust is discussing the outcomes with relevant independent regulators, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council. The Trust has also informed the Information Commissioner’s Office and Nottinghamshire Police.
Investigations into inappropriate access in these cases are ongoing, including inappropriate access to the files of surviving victims, including Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski.
The Trust has been working with staff to educate them through a ‘Your Responsibility, Your Actions, Their Privacy’ campaign, which offers colleagues the information they need to understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to data protection and the serious consequences of data breaches.
A new system to further protect patient records is being introduced to continually monitor access, identify suspicious behaviour, and generate alerts, audits and reports. Automated alerts will help to detect possible breaches. Testing of the system is currently underway and will be followed by a pilot period, with the aim of going live early next year.
Breakdown of outcomes so far:
Hearing outcome
No case to answer: 2
First written warning: 2
Final written warning: 15
Dismissal: 15
