NHS trust issue apology after staff 'accessed record' of Yorkshire tiger attack victim ‘without legitimate reason’
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust have issued an apology after they found that medical records of a man killed by a tiger were either inappropriately accessed or attempts were made.
William Chapman was killed on Saturday (10 October) after he climbed into the tiger enclosure in Yorkshire Wildlife Park and was attacked by one of the animals.
The park has since reopened and an inquest into Chapman's death is scheduled, but an investigation has been launched after the trust said that two members of staff attempted to access his medical information.
They said in a statement: "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.
Advert
“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 investigation is seeking to understand what the circumstances were around the attempt to access Chapman's medical records.
Whether his records were accessed or the attempts were not successful is unclear, but the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been alerted about what happened.
Today (16 October) is the first day the park has been reopened since Chapman was killed, and visitors have said they are glad that the tiger, named Altai, is not going to be euthanised as a result of the tragedy.
The park said they would continue to help South Yorkshire Police and all other agencies that form part of the investigation with their inquiries.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has asked those visiting to 'be understanding and respectful towards our staff team'.
Staff at the park were praised for their 'tremendous professionalism and dedication during an exceptionally difficult time'.
They said: "We are providing specialist trauma support and ongoing care for those affected.
“As inquiries remain ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on circumstances at this time.
“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.”
Chapman's family said he was 'bright, warm and engaging', while a neighbour who had known him for the past few months had described him as a 'lovely, lovely man'.
Joe Harker