Key facts
- An investigation has been launched into allegations that NHS staff accessed the medical records of Minnie Merriman, a nine-year-old girl who died in Scotland.
- Minnie Merriman was found seriously injured at an industrial estate in Arbroath and later died at Ninewells Hospital.
- Her father, Christopher Rice, has been charged with murder and remanded in custody.
- NHS Tayside is investigating the alleged data breach, stating any breach would be recorded and investigated.
- In a separate incident, 11 NHS staff members were dismissed for illegally accessing the medical records of victims of the Nottingham stabbing attacks in June 2023.
- A further 14 staff members in the Nottingham case received written warnings.
An investigation has been launched into claims that NHS staff accessed the private health records of Minnie Merriman, a nine-year-old girl from West Yorkshire who died in Scotland this week. Minnie was found seriously injured at Elliot Industrial Estate in Arbroath and later died at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Her family was camping in the area at the time. NHS Tayside confirmed it is investigating the alleged data breach, stating that any data protection breach would be recorded and investigated, and potentially reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Minnie's father, Christopher Rice, 35, appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court charged with murder and was remanded in custody. Minnie's mother, Laurie Merriman, paid tribute to her daughter.
This incident echoes a previous case where Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) dismissed 11 staff members for illegally accessing the medical records of victims of the Nottingham stabbing attacks in June 2023. In that case, Valdo Calocane killed two 19-year-old students, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and a 65-year-old caretaker, Ian Coates. A further 14 staff members at NUH received written warnings. The families of the Nottingham victims have expressed outrage, with Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, disputing the trust's claim that only 48 staff had legitimate access, suggesting up to 150 may have accessed the files. Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at NUH, apologized to the families and stated the trust would not tolerate such misconduct.