An NHS trust is investigating at least two potential cases where confidential medical records could have been illegitimately accessed after a man was killed by a tiger at a Doncaster zoo.
William Chapman, 24, died at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday after scaling two fences at the attraction's Land of the Tigers enclosure, an inquest has heard.
Potential breaches identified
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, reports the Daily Express.
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).
Family kept informed
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".
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.
Background and reopening
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.
