Nottingham NHS trust has now sacked 15 staff over access to attack victims' records

Mixed · 2Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust said in an update on Friday 16 October that a total of 15 staff have now been sacked for inappropriately accessing the medical records of the victims of the 2023 Nottingham attacks. 1 2 Mixed · 2The trust had confirmed in May that it had dismissed 11 staff, so four more have now been dismissed. 1 2 Mixed · 2Alongside the dismissals, the trust said 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings have been issued in total, while two cases were found to have no case to answer and no action was taken. 1 2

Mixed · 2The records were those of Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, who were stabbed to death in Nottingham on 13 June 2023 by Valdo Calocane. 2 1 Mixed · 2Calocane, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in January 2024 and is serving an indefinite hospital order; he also tried to kill three others. 1 2 Centre · 1The trust said action was taken against "doctors, nurses, registered healthcare professionals and other staff", and that the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the General Medical Council, the Information Commissioner's Office and Nottinghamshire Police had been informed. 1

Centre · 1Dr Manjeet Shehmar, NUH's medical director, said there was "simply no excuse" for accessing a patient's records without a legitimate reason, apologised to the families, and said the trust would "investigate" and "take action"; he also said the staff involved represent a small number of the wider workforce. 1 Centre · 1Investigations are continuing, including into inappropriate access to the files of the surviving victims Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski. 1 Mixed · 2The trust is introducing a new system to detect possible data breaches; the BBC says it is under testing, while Metro describes automated monitoring systems designed to flag unauthorised access in real time as already implemented. It has also run a "Your Responsibility, Your Actions, Their Privacy" campaign to educate staff on data protection. 1 2

Centre · 1The families of the three victims previously welcomed the trust's action but called the May development a "kick in the teeth". 1 Centre · 1The BBC places the case within a wider pattern of inappropriate access: Ministry of Justice staff, including court workers and probation officers, and Nottinghamshire Police staff viewing footage and images; the police said they would audit how often it was viewed after a complaint by Barnaby Webber's mother, Emma Webber. 1 Left · 1Metro links the case to other recent incidents: in September 10 people were removed from duty after trying to access the records of three-year-old Noah Woods, and this week an investigation began after two staff sought to access William Chapman's records following his death in a tiger attack at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. 2

Centre · 1The public Nottingham Inquiry, led by retired judge Deborah Taylor KC, heard from 164 witnesses between February and June 2026 and is due to publish its findings by May 2027. 1