The NHS is investigating allegations that private medical records may have been inappropriately accessed by staff following the death of a man killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
An inquest heard that William Chapman, 24, died after scaling two fences at the attraction's Land of the Tigers enclosure on Saturday. Yorkshire Ambulance Service Trust said there may have been two separate incidents involving two members of staff who accessed, or attempted to access, medical information "without a legitimate reason to do so" following the incident.
Trust reports concerns to Information Commissioner
A trust spokesperson said: "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 has commenced an investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding these potential breaches and the actions of these individuals," it said, adding that it had also reported the incident to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
The trust said Chapman's family will be kept up to date, adding that the concern was uncovered through proactive audits. It added their "thoughts are with William Chapman’s family at this distressing time".
Inquest hears of mental health history
An inquest into Chapman's death opened on Thursday in Doncaster, which heard he had a history of mental illness and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. He had suffered previous bouts of psychosis, the hearing at Doncaster Coroner’s Court was told.
Coroner's officer Caitlin Brookes said his family had expressed "a number of concerns" in relation to his contact with mental health services. Chapman was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was "highly functioning and independent with no care requirements," the inquest heard. The self-employed online trader was born in Chichester, West Sussex, and living in Doncaster at the time of his death.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened for the first time on Friday including its "Land of the Tiger" area.
