Why are NHS staff targeting terror attack victims?

Why are NHS staff targeting terror attack victims?

September 8, 2026 · 22 min

About this episode

The episode investigates the unauthorized access of NHS staff to the medical records of terror attack victims.

Imagine your child has been the victim of a terror attack. Then imagine the most intimate details of their injuries being viewed and shared without your permission or knowledge. A Sky News and Health Service Journal investigation has uncovered the extent to which NHS staff are accessing patients’ medical records. High profile cases include the victims of the Nottingham and Southport attacks. But information was also accessed to carry out coercive control and domestic abuse. Niall Paterson speaks to Sky’s health correspondent, Ashish Joshi, and Zoe Tidman – senior correspondent for the Health Service Journal. NHS England has issued a response to the investigation, saying: “All NHS trusts are required to maintain audit logs of access to patient information as well as having controls in place to prevent and identify unauthorised access – and must take action in cases where staff have abused the trust of patients by accessing personal records without good reason.” Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk

People in this episode

Host: Niall Paterson

Guests: Ashish Joshi, Zoe Tidman

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NHS England, Sky News, Health Service Journal

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