Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust announced that the total number of staff members dismissed for inappropriately accessing the medical records of the Nottingham attack victims has risen to 15. The trust, which previously reported 11 sackings in May, confirmed the additional four dismissals during a recent update on Friday. The internal investigation follows the 2023 stabbings of students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and grandfather Ian Coates, by Valdo Calocane.
The trust reported that the disciplinary actions involved a range of personnel, including doctors, nurses, registered healthcare professionals, and other staff members. In addition to the 15 dismissals, the trust issued 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings. Two individuals were found to have no case to answer. NUH officials stated that they have notified the Information Commissioner’s Office, Nottinghamshire Police, and professional regulators including the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at NUH, stated there was no excuse for accessing patient records without a legitimate reason and apologized to the victims' families. Dr Sanjoy Kumar, the father of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, described the unauthorized access to medical data as "disgraceful" and called for authorities to address the failures. The trust is currently testing a new monitoring system to detect potential data breaches and has launched an educational campaign for staff regarding data protection rules.
For patients and staff, these events indicate a change in how medical privacy is monitored within the hospital system. Personnel now face a new detection system designed to alert the trust to potential breaches, and the trust has warned of "serious consequences" for data protection violations. The ongoing investigations into the records of the surviving victims suggest that further disciplinary actions could follow.
The broader implications of these failures are being examined by the Nottingham Inquiry, a statutory public inquiry led by retired judge Deborah Taylor KC. The inquiry, which heard 14 weeks of evidence from 164 witnesses between February and June 2026, is investigating the actions of multiple agencies prior to and after the attacks. The final findings of this inquiry are scheduled for publication by May 2027. Separately, Nottinghamshire Police confirmed it would carry out an audit into staff access following a complaint filed in March.