Two NHS staff may have accessed or tried to access medical information about a man killed by a tiger at a wildlife park “without a legitimate reason”, a trust has said.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service Trust said it had identified “two instances involving two members of staff” following the death of William Chapman at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, on 10 October.

In response to a request from HSJ, a spokeswoman for YAS said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with William Chapman’s family at this distressing time.

“The trust has identified an information governance concern in relation to this tragic incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and William’s family has been informed of our ongoing investigation into this.

“We believe there may have been two instances involving two members of staff accessing or attempting to access incident/medical information following this incident without a legitimate reason to do so.

“We take the confidentiality and security of patient information extremely seriously and have robust systems in place to protect information, and this concern has been identified as a result of our proactive audits.”

The trust said it had launched an investigation to establish the “full circumstances surrounding these potential breaches and the actions of these individuals”.

It said the case had been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office, and that it would keep Mr Chapman’s family informed as the investigation progresses.

An inquest this week heard that the 24-year-old, who was under the care of Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Foundation Trust, had a history of mental illness. His family have raised concerns about his contact with the trust, the BBC reported this week.

An RDASH spokeswoman said there was no evidence of their staff inappropriately accessing Mr Chapman’s records.

The mental health trust told HSJ it had implemented “enhanced access controls around the patient’s records at an early stage following his death”.

It added that it ”would investigate any concerns raised in accordance with its policies and procedures. This monitoring is daily with executive oversight.”

It is the latest incident in a growing scandal over inappropriate access to patient records which has led to NHS England ordering all staff under investigation to be suspended.

This comes after a series of high-profile incidents where victims’ medical records were improperly viewed, such as in relation to the 2024 Southport attack on a children’s dance class, and a 2023 stabbing in Nottingham in which three people were killed. 

The UK’s information watchdog called inappropriate records access a “worrying trend”, following the issue gaining greater public awareness over the summer. 

HSJ revealed last month that hundreds of staff have been sacked over the past five years for such breaches.

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