More NHS staff are sacked, taking to 15 the number dismissed for opening records of Nottingham attack victims
Sky News reported on Saturday 17 October that a total of 15 NHS staff have now been sacked after accessing medical records belonging to victims of the Nottingham attacks. Google News listings carried the same report. The figure of 15 is a cumulative total, so it includes staff dismissed before this week. The reports reviewed do not name the trust or trusts involved, the roles of those dismissed, or what they looked at. They do not say whether any police action is under way.
Patient records are protected by confidentiality duties and by data protection law, and access without a care reason breaches both. For victims' families, the fact that colleagues looked at records is a second harm laid on top of the original loss.
If you work in the NHS, check your trust's policy on accessing records and remember that audit trails record who opened a file. If you are a patient worried about access, you can ask your provider for information about who has viewed your record.
Fifteen sackings say the audits work after the fact. They do not say whether curiosity about a famous case will be stopped before it reaches a screen.
DailyDrop U.K. edition No. 14 · Morning · SUN., OCT. 18, 2026