Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has dismissed 15 staff members, including doctors and nurses, for unauthorized access to the medical records of victims of the June 2023 fatal Nottingham attacks. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the privacy violations as a disgrace and called for swift suspensions and dismissals. The trust issued 17 written warnings and implemented new breach-detection systems, while a public inquiry scrutinizes broader systemic failures.
NHS Trust disciplinary actions
- ▪Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has dismissed a total of 15 staff members, including doctors and nurses, for inappropriately accessing the medical records of victims of the June 13, 2023 Nottingham attacks
- ▪In addition to the 15 dismissals of staff for accessing Nottingham attack victims' records, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust issued 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings over improper medical record access
- ▪Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust found no case to answer in two cases of suspected record breaches and continues to investigate unauthorized file access regarding surviving Nottingham attack victims Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller, and Marcin Gawronski
Reactions to data breaches
- ▪The families of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates previously welcomed Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust's initial disciplinary actions but called the trust's May 2026 disclosure of 11 dismissals a kick in the teeth
- ▪Health Secretary Yvette Cooper stated on October 18, 2026 that NHS staff data breaches are a disgrace and expected staff who fail to abide by privacy standards to face suspension and dismissal
- ▪Dr. Sanjoy Kumar, father of victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar, described the unauthorized viewing of confidential medical data of Nottingham attacks victims as disgraceful and requested a meeting with Health Secretary Yvette Cooper
NHS Trust response and measures
- ▪Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust notified regulators including the Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Medical Council, Information Commissioner's Office, and Nottinghamshire Police regarding the Nottingham attacks victims' medical record breaches
- ▪Dr. Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, stated there is no excuse for accessing patient records without a legitimate reason and apologized to the families of Ian, Grace and Barnaby
- ▪Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is testing and implementing a new breach-detection system alongside an educational staff campaign called 'Your Responsibility, Your Actions, Their Privacy'
The Nottingham attacks and inquiry
- ▪Valdo Calocane was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, had been sectioned four times under the Mental Health Act, and pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in January 2024
- ▪The statutory public Nottingham Inquiry led by retired judge Deborah Taylor KC examined interactions between agencies and Valdo Calocane between February and June 2026, with findings scheduled for publication by May 2027
- ▪Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar and grandfather Ian Coates were stabbed to death on June 13, 2023 in Nottingham by Valdo Calocane
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