Technology and Science25 September, 20263 min read
Sir Jim Mackey Orders NHS England To Suspend Staff Suspected Of Snooping On Patient Records
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Staff suspected of inappropriate access to patient records are to be suspended immediately. Suspended staff will be blocked from NHS computer systems during investigations.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Zero-tolerance snooping crackdown
NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey ordered hospital trusts in England to suspend staff suspected of looking at patient records without a valid reason as part of a "zero-tolerance crackdown" on snooping. NHS England also required trusts to lock suspected staff out of NHS computer systems, preventing any further viewing of confidential records, including from home. NHS England said the measures followed high-profile incidents involving the records of Nottingham and Southport attack victims and a child injured in a crocodile enclosure in Cambridgeshire.
Bristol Foundation NHS Trust launched an internal investigation after it emerged the medical records of an 18-year-old had been accessed years after his death, and Paula McGowan told the BBC she was "deeply concerned and hurt". NHS England said the "hardline" approach included a national campaign to "remind staff of their responsibilities and the serious consequences of unlawful access".
Suspension while facts emerge
Sir Jim Mackey told NHS trusts that if someone is suspected of snooping, they cannot be left in post with access to patients' records while an investigation takes days or weeks. Sir Jim Mackey said, "From now on, we will expect them to be suspended and have their access to NHS systems cut off immediately, while the facts are established." The crackdown followed cases in which University Hospitals of Liverpool Group staff accessed the records of victims of the 2024 Southport attack, which left three girls dead and 10 others injured.
Around 40 hospital staff viewed the records of a three-year-old boy hurt after falling into a crocodile pit in Cambridgeshire in June, and NHS England said the measures were designed to safeguard patients from further breaches. Leanne Lucas told Sky News she was "really pleased to see that people in these positions have listened to us and they're taking it seriously" after her medical records were accessed inappropriately and she was not told by the hospital until two years after the breach.
Sanctions, regulators, and trust
NHS England said an investigation for the Health Services Journal found that at least 214 NHS staff have lost their jobs and around 2,000 been sanctioned for snooping on sensitive patient data over the past five years. The BBC reported that IT systems keep an audit trail that should be able to show exactly who accessed a patient's records and when, and it said there is no single NHS-wide electronic record system that every member of staff can access. The BBC said Paula McGowan, whose autistic son Oliver died in 2016, was told that at least five members of staff at Southmead Hospital may have accessed his records without permission as recently as this year.
Sir Jim Mackey warned that staff "may lose their career and could end up with a criminal record" if they access records without a legitimate clinical or professional reason. The Independent said the crackdown followed high-profile snooping incidents involving the victims of the Southport and Nottingham attacks, Oliver McGowan, and attempts to obtain the Princess of Wales's medical records, and it said registered healthcare professionals found guilty would be referred to regulators and face severe consequences, including being struck off.