An NHS trust has sacked 11 members of staff for inappropriately accessing medical records of the Nottingham stabbing victims.
Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, plus grandfather Ian Coates, were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane in 2023.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) said on Thursday that “11 members of staff have been dismissed and a further 14 have had actions taken against them”.
Further investigations are ongoing, it added.
It comes as a public statutory inquiry into the killings continues.
The trust said that it had been investigating the breach since early 2025.
Actions taken so far include two first written warnings, 12 final written warnings and 11 staff dismissed, it said.
“Staff included in these investigations include doctors, nurses, registered medical professionals and admin and clerical colleagues,” the statement added.
The trust said it would now consult with regulators such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and General Medical Council (GMC), both of which have powers to strike staff off medical registers.
The trust has also informed the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Nottinghamshire Police.
In a statement to the Press Association, Emma Webber, whose 19-year-old son Barnaby was killed in the attacks, said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at NUH, said: “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.
“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.
“We know that the vast majority of our staff understand that appropriate access is a fundamental principle of our duty of care and know that 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.”
The trust said further investigations are ongoing into inappropriate access, including into the files of surviving victims, including Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski, the trust said.
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, told PA she welcomed news that disciplinary action has been taken.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
A General Medical Council spokesperson said: “Accessing information where there is no legitimate need is a breach of GMC guidance.
“We expect trusts to fully investigate the circumstances and to make referrals to the GMC.”
