Southport and Nottingham families call for stronger safeguards against NHS snooping

Families affected by the Southport and Nottingham attacks are calling for stronger safeguards to stop NHS staff accessing confidential patient records without a legitimate reason. In an open letter signed by more than 30 people, they say recent suspensions and dismissals do not go far enough to prevent future breaches.

The letter’s authors want staff to confirm a legitimate reason before opening a patient’s record, more audits to detect snooping and stronger recognition of patients’ rights by the Information Commissioner. They describe the unauthorised access as a “flagrant abuse of power”.

The call follows breaches involving records of victims of the Nottingham attacks, in which three people were killed in 2023, and the Southport knife attack in 2024, which killed three children and injured others. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said last month that 15 people had been sacked after its investigation into inappropriate access to victims’ records. In May, the University Hospitals of Liverpool Group said nearly 50 staff had wrongly viewed records of Southport victims; separate investigations are also under way at other organisations.

In September, NHS officials announced that staff suspected of snooping would be suspended immediately and lose access to health-service computer systems. The letter’s authors say tougher sanctions are a step in the right direction but will not, on their own, prevent further breaches.

Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, a partner at Fletchers Solicitors, which drafted the letter, said parents of some child survivors she represents did not feel they had a voice to speak about the impact. She called for a new culture in the health system and a stronger means for victims to challenge breaches.

The letter also points to cases involving sensitive records accessed outside the NHS, including apologies from the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunals Service over inappropriate access to information about Southport victims.