A survivor of the Southport attack she was “devastated and horrified” after she found out hospital workers inappropriately accessed the medical records of victims.
Leanne Lucas, who was the instructor at the Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop targeted in the attack, in July 2024, said staff have “abused their position”.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven were murdered at The Hart Space in Southport in July 2024 by AR, who GB News has chosen not to name at the request of the victims’ families, while 10 others were injured.
Some of those injured were treated at University Hospitals of Liverpool Group.
An information access audit carried out by the trust in the days following the incident showed 48 staff accessed the records of the victims without good reason, the HSJ reports.
This information was not given to the patients involved until this week.
Ms Lucas, who now campaigns against knife crime, has waived her right to anonymity following the incident.
NHS Staff accessed the data of those injured in the horror attacks
|
GETTYShe said: “I am absolutely devastated and horrified that my privacy has been invaded when I was at my most vulnerable.
“Nothing will take away my gratitude to the staff who saved my life, but 48 people not involved in my care abused their position of trust to access the files of victims who have suffered unspeakable trauma.
“The decision to keep this from me for almost two years is a new low. I am speaking out as I want this scandal and the attempted cover up by senior management exposed for what it is.”
According to the HSJ, University Hospitals of Liverpool Group reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in August 2024.
Prince William with Southport survivor Leanne Lucas
|
GETTY
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine and Bebe King, six, were all killed in the attack on July 29, 2024 | FAMILY HANDOUTS
Nicola Brook, a legal director at law firm Broudie Jackson Canter, which is representing three survivors, including Ms Lucas, at the Southport Inquiry, said: “This is a truly unbelievable breach of privacy for victims of one of the most horrific attacks this country has ever seen.
“This is more than a few bad apples when it was 48 different members of staff who, for no legitimate reason, chose to access vulnerable victims’ records.
“That speaks to a culture and one that will only change if there are real consequences for those responsible.”
Trust chief executive James Sumner said after it had concluded its investigation, it had made the decision not to inform the patients involved after “taking into consideration the potential psychological impact it may have upon them at the time”.
A vigil was held in Southport following the knife attack in July, 2024 | PA
Mr Sumner said the trust had “notified the relevant regulators and professional bodies”, including the ICO, and “were fully transparent about any findings and actions taken”.
Mr Sumner said: “We are sincerely sorry for any distress that may have been caused to the patients that were under our care and who trusted us to look after them when they were most vulnerable.
“Breaches of patient confidentiality are inexcusable and undermine the hard work of those teams who sought to provide the highest standard of care to these patients after they experienced such traumatic and life-changing events.
“Staff who were found to access patient records inappropriately were subject to HR disciplinary processes.”
Floral Tributes were left in Southport | PA
An ICO spokesman said: “People need to trust that their medical information is safe and only available to healthcare staff who need to use it. Anyone inappropriately accessing information in this way may face disciplinary action or even criminal prosecution in some cases.
“NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group spoke with us after identifying alleged inappropriate access to medical records by staff, and we provided support to the trust as it carried out its internal investigations and disciplinary processes.
“We don’t intend to start a criminal investigation into anyone for breaking data protection law at this time but we always keep this under review should new information emerge. This is a wider issue across the health sector that we are working to address.”
AR was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murders of the three girls and attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as Ms Lucas and businessman John Hayes.