Probe into claims Southport victims' NHS records accessed
The North West Ambulance Service is investigating reports that staff inappropriately accessed the medical records of victims from the Southport attack. This follows a similar incident at Aintree Hospital, prompting calls for a national review of NHS data privacy procedures.
Why it matters
The breach of sensitive medical data regarding high-profile tragedy victims raises serious ethical and legal questions about patient privacy and professional conduct.
Image source, PA Media Image caption, The victims were all injured at a children's dance class in Southport's Hart Street in July 2024
An NHS ambulance trust is investigating accusations that staff inappropriately accessed the records of victims of the Southport attack.
The father of one of the young girls seriously injured in the July 2024 attack said he was "appalled" at the possibility and accused staff at North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) of wanting to "satisfy their own morbid curiosity".
It comes after it emerged in May that dozens of workers at Aintree Hospital, where some of the injured were treated, had looked at the records with no good reason.
NWAS chief executive Salman Desai said: "We have identified concerns about potential inappropriate access to patient records and are formally investigating the matter."
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