Families ‘appalled’ after ambulance staff investigated over alleged access to victims’ medical records
Families of children caught up in the Southport dance class attack have expressed outrage after it emerged that ambulance staff are being investigated over claims they inappropriately accessed victims’ confidential medical records. The father of one of the girls seriously injured in the attack has accused North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) of a “complete breach of trust”, claiming some staff appeared to have accessed records out of “morbid curiosity”. His daughter, who was 13 at the time of the attack, survived after suffering stab wounds to her back and arm. The latest concerns come just weeks after it was revealed that almost 50 members of staff at Aintree Hospital allegedly viewed victims’ medical records without any legitimate clinical reason. Documents seen by the families indicate that fewer than 10 individuals within North West Ambulance Service may also have accessed incident records inappropriately. The girl’s father said the family only became aware of the potential breach after carefully examining disclosure documents. “They’ve had multiple chances to tell us about this,” he said. “Instead we have been left to discover it all two years later.” He added that the family still had no clear answers as to whether photographs documenting his daughter’s injuries had been viewed by members of staff. “We don’t know what to believe,” he said. Solicitors representing 21 of the 23 surviving girls have now called for NHS England to launch a full review into how NHS organisations deal with staff found to have accessed confidential patient information without a legitimate reason. North West Ambulance Service confirmed it had identified concerns relating to possible inappropriate access to patient records. Chief Executive Salman Desai said the trust had identified “concerns about potential inappropriate access” and confirmed that affected families would be contacted. The trust has also referred the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which will assess the available evidence and determine whether any further regulatory or criminal investigation is required. According to Fletchers Solicitors, NWAS is not currently taking formal disciplinary action against those involved but has strengthened its internal human resources processes to deal with similar incidents in future. Dance instructor Leanne Lucas, who survived the Southport attack, said she was “devastated and horrified” by the latest revelations, describing them as “insult added to injury”. The attack on 29 July 2024 claimed the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe, while 10 other children and adults were injured. The allegations are the latest in a series of NHS data privacy investigations. In recent months, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it was investigating around 40 members of staff accused of accessing the records of a three-year-old boy injured in a crocodile enclosure, while Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust dismissed 11 employees after they improperly accessed the medical records of stabbing victims. Families affected by the Southport tragedy say they now want full transparency over who accessed the records, why it happened, and what action will be taken to ensure similar breaches cannot happen again.
