Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has said NHS staff who inappropriately accessed the medical records of a man mauled to death by a tiger must be sacked. Two members of staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service are believed to have accessed or attempted to access the records of William Chapman after his death at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on October 10 without a legitimate reason.
Investigation into records breaches
The ambulance service opened an investigation into the potential breaches on Friday. Speaking on Sky News's Sunday Morning programme, Cooper said: "If there are breaches then people actually need to be sacked." She added that no member of NHS staff should be accessing records "for something to do with voyeurism, or what is in the news or any of that kind of reason".
Cooper continued: "It is not only is it a total disgrace, but I've spoken to the NHS chief executive about this. We agree that if there are cases here of people inappropriately accessing medical records, then they should be suspended while the investigation takes place."
Details of the incident
Chapman, 24, died at the park in Doncaster after scaling two fences at the attraction's Land of the Tigers enclosure, an inquest has heard. A coroner was told he had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis. His family had expressed "a number of concerns" in relation to his contact with mental health services.
The coroner was also told that Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust has launched an investigation into their handling of his case.
Park reopens
The development comes after Yorkshire Wildlife Park reopened on Friday morning nearly a week on from the incident. The park said safety remains its priority as it reopens its gates, adding: "The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff team and animals remain our highest priority."
It also asked visitors to be mindful of staff returning to work after the incident, saying: "As we welcome visitors back, we would ask everyone to be understanding and respectful towards our staff team, who have shown tremendous professionalism and dedication during an exceptionally difficult time. We are providing specialist trauma support and ongoing care for those affected."
The statement concluded by thanking the public for their support and patience, adding: "We would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and support during this difficult period, and we look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Park."
