Health Secretary: NHS Staff Who Snooped on Medical Records Must Be Sacked
Yvette Cooper said NHS staff who inappropriately access patient files must be dismissed, following an investigation into two ambulance workers who viewed records for a man killed by a tiger in Yorkshire.
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that NHS employees who breach privacy standards to access confidential medical files should be dismissed. The declaration came after Yorkshire Ambulance Service revealed it is investigating two staff members for inappropriately viewing the records of William Chapman, who was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Speaking to Sky News, Cooper labeled the unauthorized access a total disgrace and said that any employee suspected of snooping for non-medical reasons, such as curiosity or media interest, must be suspended pending investigation.
This call for zero tolerance follows a separate probe into a 2023 Nottingham stabbing incident, in which a hospital trust dismissed 15 employees for improperly accessing the files of victims and witnesses.
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, a solicitor representing families affected by broader NHS privacy breaches, condemned the pattern of unauthorized record access as a deeply disturbing abuse of power and a shocking breach of privacy.
Sources3
Original reporting and primary evidence.
- TheGuardianPrimary sourceNHS staff who wrongly accessed tiger victim’s records should be sacked, says Yvette Cooper
- www.dailymail.comNHS staff who inappropriately accessed medical records of man mauled to death by tiger at zoo should be sacked, Yvette Cooper says
- www.msn.comNHS workers who look at records without reason should be sacked, says Health Secretary after tiger attack
Claim connections3
Yvette Cooper stated that NHS staff who inappropriately access medical records should be sacked.
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A total of 15 NHS staff were dismissed for accessing medical records belonging to the victims of a 2023 Nottingham attack.
confirmedConnected sources1
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly from Fletcher’s Solicitors condemned unauthorized access to medical records as a deeply disturbing abuse of power.
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