Nottingham hospital trust dismisses 11 over victims’ record access

A hospital trust has dismissed 11 employees for inappropriately accessing the medical records of three people killed in a series of stabbings in Nottingham last year. The Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed the dismissals on Thursday, concluding part of an investigation into staff who viewed the files of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates without a legitimate reason.

The three victims were fatally stabbed by Valdo Calocane in June 2023. Disciplinary action has been taken against a total of 25 staff members; in addition to the dismissals, 12 employees received final written warnings and two were given first written warnings. Those investigated included doctors, nurses, and administrative staff.

The breach has become a significant issue in the ongoing public inquiry into the killings. According to the trust, its investigation is being conducted in stages, first identifying staff who accessed the records and then determining which accesses were illegitimate. The trust stated that 48 staff members had legitimate reasons for accessing the files, a figure contested by the victims' families.

Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber, said the scale of...