Ten people have been suspended or removed from direct active duty by an NHS trust amid concerns that the medical records of three-year-old Noah Woods may have been accessed inappropriately.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, known as Esneft, said it had launched an urgent internal investigation into the possible data breach and had taken immediate steps to secure Noah’s records and prevent access that was not for a legitimate clinical reason.
Dr Martin Mansfield, the trust’s deputy chief medical officer and its senior person responsible for health and care information, said the trust had apologised unreservedly to Noah’s family.
“Any unauthorised access of patient data is completely unacceptable,” Dr Mansfield said. “We understand the significant distress it can cause patients and their families. It also undermines trust in our services.”
He said the trust had reported the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office and would continue to keep Noah’s family informed as the investigation progressed. He added that disciplinary action would be taken where necessary, in line with the trust’s policies and procedures.
An Esneft spokesman said: “Ten people working at the trust have been removed from direct active duty or suspended pending further investigation.”
The Information Commissioner’s Office said it was making enquiries with the trust. An ICO spokesman said knowingly or recklessly accessing patient data without authorisation was against the law and could put a person’s livelihood and professional accreditation at risk, as well as potentially leading to criminal sanctions.
The spokesman said a series of recent high-profile incidents involving unauthorised access to patient records was “painting an extremely worrying picture”.
NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said patient records contained “some of the most private information people will ever share”. He said there had been too many cases of people abusing that trust and warned that those who accessed records out of curiosity could lose their careers and face a criminal record.
Noah was found dead in a lake on September 16, a day after he went missing in Brantham, Suffolk. He had left an under-fives play area and became separated from the relative who was with him, the opening of his inquest heard on Friday.
About 1,300 members of the public joined the search for Noah. Metropolitan Police divers recovered his body from a lake known locally as Decoy Pond on the afternoon of September 16.
Noah’s inquest was opened and then adjourned to a date to be fixed.
In a tribute released through Suffolk Police on Friday, Noah’s family described him as a “happy, cheeky, playful three-year-old boy” who loved to laugh and brought joy wherever he went.
They said Noah lived with his mother, father and baby brother and was “at the centre of our world”. They said he had been assessed for autism but had not received a diagnosis, and that he had mild hearing loss and was speech delayed.
“Despite the challenges he faced, he was learning every day,” the family said.
The trust’s investigation into the possible access to Noah’s records remains ongoing.
