NHS England orders immediate suspensions over suspected patient-record snooping

NHS England has ordered every trust to introduce immediate suspension for staff suspected of accessing patient records without a valid reason, BBC News reports. The measures also require those under suspicion to be locked out of NHS computer systems, including access from home, to prevent further viewing of confidential information. [1]

Chief executive Sir Jim Mackey instructed trusts to introduce the measures immediately. The NHS said they form part of a wider effort to tackle unlawful access, alongside a national campaign reminding staff of their responsibilities and the potential consequences. [1]

Mackey warned that staff who looked at a patient's records out of curiosity would be found out, might lose their career and could end up with a criminal record. [1]

The BBC also cited an investigation for the Health Services Journal which found that at least 214 NHS staff had lost their jobs and around 2,000 had been sanctioned for snooping on sensitive patient data over the preceding five years. [1]

There is no single NHS-wide electronic record system that every staff member can access. GP practices, hospitals and specialist clinics maintain their own records and decide who can view particular information. IT systems keep audit trails that should show who accessed a patient's records and when. [1]

The BBC report highlighted concerns about access to the records of Oliver McGowan, who died in 2016. His mother, Paula, was told that at least five staff at Southmead Hospital in Bristol may have accessed his records without permission as recently as 2026. [1]

The trust said it was conducting a thorough investigation and that it would be inappropriate to reach conclusions before its inquiries were complete. [1]