Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many instances of patients’ medical records being accessed (1) inappropriately, and (2) illegally, have been recorded in NHS Trusts in England where digital records are kept in the last two years for which figures exist.

1,445 cases of inappropriate access have been reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) between 2019 to 2025. Medical records are accessed all the time by staff with a legitimate need to deliver the best possible care. Inappropriate access is rare, as the vast majority of staff take their duty of confidentiality extremely seriously. With that said, we agree with the ICO that there have clearly been too many incidents of National Health Service staff accessing patient records inappropriately. Any unauthorised access to a patient’s medical record is completely unacceptable and NHS organisations must take action where it occurs, including disciplinary measures and referrals to the police and professional regulators where appropriate.