Eleven NHS staff sacked for accessing medical records of Nottingham attack victims

Eleven staff have been sacked by an NHS trust for inappropriately accessing the medical records of the 2023 Nottingham attack victims.

Valdo Calocane killed University of Nottingham students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, as well as 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates, and attempted to kill three more people in the June 2023 attacks.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust said on Thursday that "11 members of staff have been dismissed and a further 14 have had actions taken against them".

It added that further investigations are ongoing.

Barnaby's mother, Emma Webber, reacted to the news saying: "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."

She 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."

The decision to sack the staff comes as a public statutory inquiry into the killings continues.

The trust said that it had been investigating the breach since starting investigations in 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.

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'I am truly sorry'

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."

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.

Nurses referred to regulator

As the inquiry continued on Thursday, it heard three nurses have been referred to the NMC in relation to Calocane's case.

Diane Hull, chief nurse with the NUH trust, who took up her post a month after the attack, was quizzed about disciplinary processes.

Rachel Langdale KC, counsel to the inquiry, asked her: "In relation to VC's case, we understand one doctor has self-referred. One doctor, we were told yesterday by the medical director, the GMC indicated did not meet the referral criteria.

"Have any of those been referred by the trust, as far as you're aware, to the GMC?"

Ms Hull responded: "I don't know about doctors. I can tell you about nurses.

"Three people have been referred to the NMC. We regularly consult with the NMC.

"We've also committed… to do a further review of professional standards and practice following the inquiry as well."

(c) Sky News 2026: Eleven NHS staff sacked for accessing medical records of Nottingham attack victims