Nottingham hospitals dismiss more staff over snooping on murder victims' medical records

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has dismissed more staff in its investigation into inappropriate access to the medical records of Ian Coates, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, bringing the total number of dismissals to 15, the trust said on Friday.

The trust confirmed 15 final written warnings and two first written warnings have also been issued, and that two cases were found to have nothing to answer. Staff involved include doctors, nurses, registered healthcare professionals and other staff. The totals are up from the first outcomes announced in May, when 11 staff had been dismissed and 12 final warnings issued.

The families were contacted this week with the latest outcomes. The investigations — started in 2025 to identify where access to records was illegitimate — continue, including into inappropriate access of the files of surviving victims Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski.

Medical director Dr Manjeet Shehmar said: “There is simply no excuse for accessing the records of a patient without a legitimate reason and I hope this sends a really clear message – we will investigate and we will take action.”

The trust is discussing the outcomes with regulators including the Nursing and Midwifery Council and General Medical Council, and has informed the Information Commissioner’s Office and Nottinghamshire Police. It is running a staff education campaign, ‘Your Responsibility, Your Actions, Their Privacy’, and is testing a new records-monitoring system it aims to take live early next year.