By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-17 19:15:24 | Updated at 2026-10-17 20:12:33
1 hour ago
The National Health Trust has dismissed a total of 15 employees following an investigation into unauthorised viewing of medical records belonging to the three people killed in the 2023 Nottingham attacks.
The figure represents an increase from the 11 dismissals that the trust announced in May.
The Nottingham University Hospitals workers accessed files relating to university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, along with caretaker Ian Coates, 65. All three were fatally stabbed on June 13, 2023 by Valdo Calocane, 35.
The trust disclosed the updated figures on Friday and informed the victims' families earlier this week. Those dismissed include doctors, nurses, registered healthcare professionals and other personnel who had no legitimate reason to view the confidential patient information.
Dr Sanjoy Kumar, Grace O'Malley-Kumar's father, expressed his outrage at the breaches. "I am appalled, it's time to get a handle on these failures," he said.
He went further, describing the situation as voyeuristic misconduct. "Clearly, the way that the highest confidential data, which is medical data, is being looked at by voyeuristic people in the NHS is disgraceful," Dr Kumar added.
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, the trust's medical director, issued an apology to the families and a warning to staff. "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," he stated.
He acknowledged the additional trauma caused to the bereaved families. "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 they have had this further compounded by the actions of these staff members," Dr Shehmar said.
The trust has issued a total of 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings as part of the same investigation. Two cases were examined and found to have no basis for action.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council and General Medical Council have been notified of the outcomes, as both bodies hold powers to strike healthcare professionals from their registers. The Information Commissioner's Office and Nottinghamshire Police have also been informed.
A new monitoring system is currently being tested that will continuously track access to patient records and identify suspicious behaviour. The system will generate automated alerts to help detect potential breaches before they escalate.
The trust has launched a campaign entitled "Your Responsibility, Your Actions, Their Privacy" to educate staff about data protection obligations and the serious consequences of unauthorised access. The new monitoring technology is expected to go live early next year following a pilot period.
The trust's investigations remain active, including examining unauthorised access to files belonging to the three surviving victims of the attacks: Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski.
The hospital trust is not alone in facing scrutiny over inappropriate access to information relating to the attacks. In December 2024, an investigation was launched into allegations that Ministry of Justice personnel had illegally viewed computer files connected to the case.
The public inquiry subsequently heard court workers had also accessed case information without authorisation in January 2024. Seven probation service officers were identified as having viewed related files, though only three were found to have lacked legitimate reasons for doing so. The MoJ deemed those breaches insufficiently serious to warrant further action.
Nottinghamshire Police confirmed it would audit staff viewing of footage and images from the attacks following a complaint lodged by Barnaby Webber's mother, Emma Webber, in March.
Calocane, who had received a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility in January 2024. He is serving an indefinite hospital order at a high security facility.
A statutory public inquiry led by retired senior judge Deborah Taylor KC examined the lead-up to the attacks and subsequent response by authorities. The inquiry heard evidence from 164 witnesses over 14 weeks between February and June 2026, with closing statements delivered in September.
The hearings revealed Calocane had been detained four times under the Mental Health Act and had multiple police interactions involving violent incidents prior to the killings. The inquiry exposed failures and missed opportunities by various agencies, including the NHS and police, in their handling of Calocane.
The inquiry's findings are expected to be published by May 2027.
