Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has dismissed 11 staff members for illegally accessing the medical records of victims of the June 2023 Nottingham stabbing attack. The trust also confirmed that 14 other staff received written warnings but remain employed.

Those investigated included doctors, nurses, registered medical professionals and administrators. Most of the dismissed staff were nurses, and none were doctors. The families of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates have been informed of the disciplinary action, and the trust has notified the Information Commissioner's Office and Nottinghamshire police. Follow-up activity will take place with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council.

Valdo Calocane killed Webber, 19, O'Malley-Kumar, 19, and Coates, 65, and attempted to kill three other people in Nottingham in June 2023. He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder. Further investigations continue into allegations of inappropriate access of files of surviving victims, including Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski.

"The families of Ian, Grace and Barnaby have had to endure much pain and heartache, and I am truly sorry that the actions of some of our staff have added to that," said Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at the trust. "To access the medical records of our patients without a legitimate reason is totally unacceptable and we are doing all we can to identify where and how that has happened. I hope that the families, staff and our communities feel reassured by the outcomes so far, that we are taking this seriously and will continue to do so."

Shehmar, who will give evidence later this month at the inquiry into the attacks, said: "It is essential that access to patient records is lawful, justified and directly related to their role. By accessing records inappropriately, staff are damaging the valuable contributions made by those colleagues providing care for those patients. In those cases where it does happen, I hope that this is a very clear reminder that we will take appropriate action."

Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber, said the scale of the misconduct was greater than the dismissals indicated. "To learn that 11 staff have been dismissed and 14 faced disciplinary actions is shocking. What is more shocking is the scale of misconduct – 150 members of staff accessed the records. The process is not yet complete so we anticipate these numbers to escalate considerably."

Webber said the family was challenging the trust's conclusion on legitimate access. "The trust is also aware that we do not accept their findings that 48 members of staff had legitimate access. The number is far too high. The rationale given for legitimacy does not stack up and we are formally challenging this in order to scrutinise properly."

Webber added: "It's heartbreaking that on top of our tragic loss, we've also had to face such appalling additional failures by members of staff who should know better. I'd ask them all to consider how they would feel if it was their child or father."

Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said: "These were cruel, selfish actions that showed a complete disregard for the privacy of the victims and the harm that this would cause to their loved ones." Whittome added: "It is vital that NUH takes action to protect patient records from this kind of misuse and that all staff understand that looking up a patient's records without proper, lawful justification is a serious violation."