Technology and Science27 September, 20262 min read
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Trust Removes 10 Staff Over Noah Woods Medical Records Breach
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Ten NHS staff suspended or removed after unauthorised access to Noah Woods' records. Trust apologised to Noah's family and launched an urgent investigation.
15 outlets told this the same way.
Breach triggers suspensions
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust removed 10 employees from active duty or suspended them after a data breach involving the digital medical records of three-year-old Noah Woods. Dr Martin Mansfield, the trust's deputy chief medical officer, said any unauthorised access of patient data was "completely unacceptable" and the trust apologised "unreservedly" to Noah's family.
The trust said it launched an "urgent" investigation, took "Immediate steps" to secure the records and prevent further access not for a legitimate, clinical reason, and reported the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey wrote to every trust on Friday, ordering stronger measures to tackle data breaches, and he said, "We have seen too many cases of people abusing that trust, and enough is enough."
Search, inquest, and details
Police divers recovered Noah's body the next day after Noah went missing on 15 September, and the search involved at least 1,300 people in the village of Brantham, Suffolk. Assistant coroner Jyoti Gill opened and adjourned the inquest in Ipswich, and she described the death as a "very sad and tragic death" as the inquest heard Noah left a play area "through a gap in the fence".
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick told the inquest that Noah was being "looked after by relatives" and that the CCTV was motion-activated so it did not provide continuous footage. Suffolk constabulary said Noah went in the direction of Decoy Pond and was "being closely followed by his relative, who was trying to keep up with him," before he could not be seen after 200 metres.
ICO enquiries and next steps
The ICO said it was making enquiries with East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, and it warned that healthcare professionals knowingly or recklessly accessing patient data beyond their remit risked "your livelihood, your professional accreditation". The trust said it had made the records inaccessible in the specific case, with Anna Turner saying, "We've made it impossible to find [Noah's] record, which is something we're able to do in this specific case," while investigations continued.
“We can confirm that we are making enquiries with East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.”
The trust also said it had written to all staff on Saturday to make it clear it was taking "very swift action," and it said it trained staff on information governance practice with regular reminders including posters in staff areas. The inquest was adjourned to a date to be fixed, and the family tribute described Noah as a "happy, cheeky, playful" boy who loved to laugh.