Health
NHS England orders immediate suspension for staff suspected of snooping on patient records
September 25, 2026 at 05:29 PM
NHS England has ordered trusts to immediately suspend staff suspected of snooping on patient records and cut their computer access.
- Mackey wrote to all 205 trusts demanding suspected snoopers be suspended and locked out of NHS systems immediately, while facts are established.
- Since 2020, more than 200 NHS England staff have been dismissed and around 2,000 sanctioned for snooping on patients' records.
- Mackey warned staff that "they may lose their career and could end up with a criminal record."
- Bristol Foundation NHS Trust apologised to Paula McGowan after at least five staff accessed her son Oliver's records years after his 2016 death.