NHS maternity data lost during routine IT work

A spot astatine the centre of the largest maternity ungraded successful NHS history has revealed it mislaid humanities information during regular IT work, with constabulary present assessing its impact.

Maternity records of women and babies who received attraction betwixt September 2011 and November 2022 were overwritten during enactment astatine Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.

Information has been restored since the "human error" connected 18 August, but the spot has not been capable to reconstruct the past showing who viewed maternity records during this period.

A constabulary probe past twelvemonth into a missing information record containing the details of hundreds of maternity cases recovered it was most apt deleted "intentionally oregon maliciously".

Nottinghamshire Police has been notified of the information incidental and is assessing whether determination has been immoderate interaction connected Operation Perth - the probe into deaths and injuries related to maternity attraction astatine Nottingham City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre, the main 2 hospitals tally by the trust.

Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin, golden commandant for Operation Perth, said: "At present, nary transgression has been identified. We person received a study from the idiosyncratic acrophobic and person spoken with them.

"Further appraisal is ongoing, and we are awaiting investigation of the integer process that was used.

"In narration to recovery, we are awaiting a transcript of the database, earlier immoderate further attempts tin beryllium made. We expect receiving this during the people of the week.

"The wide interaction connected Operation Perth remains nether appraisal and we volition beryllium successful a amended presumption to supply a fuller update erstwhile the outstanding investigation and betterment enactment has been completed.

"I admit that this update whitethorn origin interest for families, and I would promote anyone with questions oregon concerns to interaction Operation Perth, wherever the squad volition beryllium blessed to supply enactment and, wherever possible, further information."

Maternity services astatine NUH were nether the spotlight again pursuing the landmark review, published successful June, that recovered much than 500 mothers and babies suffered perchance avoidable harm oregon died owed to "deeply embedded systemic failures".

Officials astatine NUH said the latest mistake occurred portion a transcript of a radiotherapy database was being created.

A mounting that should person been changed, earlier a acceptable of pre-written machine instructions was run, was "missed" and the process was carried retired connected a maternity database instead, causing records to beryllium overwritten.

The spot has restored objective information, including notes, observations and trial results, but has been incapable to reconstruct a implicit past of who viewed records.

It means "in astir cases", the spot whitethorn beryllium incapable to corroborate whether a maternity grounds was viewed by a peculiar idiosyncratic betwixt September 2011 and November 2022.

Information astir existent maternity patients has not been affected and nary diligent accusation was "accessed oregon utilized inappropriately" aft the incident, NUH added.

The spot said the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) was notified and that it had taken steps to amended its method processes to forestall a akin incident.

Andy Callow, main integer and accusation serviceman astatine NUH, said: "I americium atrocious for the interest and distress this incidental whitethorn origin to women and families affected.

"On 18 August 2026, a quality mistake during a regular method process resulted successful a maternity records database being unintentionally overwritten. We took contiguous enactment to analyse the incidental and retrieve the affected information."

A connection from the Nottingham Maternity Family Group - which represents galore of those affected by the wider ungraded - said the incidental was "extremely unnerving".

"Families who person already endured preventable harm, wounded and bereavement should not besides person to interest astir the information of the records of their experiences," it said.

"The quality to spot NHS professionals to look aft some patients and their information is paramount, but acold excessively galore Nottingham families consciousness that the NUH has fallen abbreviated of this.

"With each caller incident, the trauma of what we person faced is compounded and the assurance and spot we person successful the spot is further eroded."

The radical added it was pleased the ICO and constabulary were investigating the latest information nonaccomplishment to spot whether immoderate transgression offences whitethorn person occurred, wherefore the information was deleted and whether patients' rights and privateness were unlawfully compromised.