Police worker accused of maternity inquiry data tampering

Maternity services at the trust are at the centre of the largest inquiry of its kind in NHS history

A member of police staff investigating failings in Nottingham's maternity services has been suspended following a security breach.

Operation Perth is the police's corporate manslaughter investigation into whether maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust had been grossly negligent.

The trust is at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS, with about 2,500 cases of neonatal deaths, stillbirths and harm to mothers and babies being examined by independent midwife Donna Ockenden.

Nottinghamshire Police's deputy chief constable Rob Griffin said the force had "acted swiftly" after finding information had been changed or deleted from its systems.

He said auditing had uncovered the issue and the person thought to be responsible.

"This person had the correct level of up-to-date vetting to access the information they were able to," he added.

"The member of staff was immediately removed from all access to our systems on Wednesday. The member of staff has now been suspended."

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Information Commissioner's Office over the security breach.

The IOPC confirmed it had received a referral and was assessing "what further action may be required".

Deputy Chief Con Griffin said the families were at the heart of everything Nottinghamshire Police was doing

It is not thought any data was lost or shared outside of the force, and did not involve anyone's medical records, Mr Griffin said.

The force said all families involved in the operation had been contacted.

In a joint statement in response to the suspension, the families said they were "deeply shocked and concerned" but acknowledged the action taken by the force so far.

They added: "This incident highlights once again the importance of transparency, scrutiny, and the highest professional standards in organisations charged with safeguarding public trust.

"For too long, Nottingham families have endured the consequences of systemic failings in maternity safety. This latest issue provides further evidence for why a statutory public inquiry is required."

Mr Griffin added: "We recognise the impact this news will have on the families of Operation Perth.

"We want to reassure them that at this stage we are confident we have all the processes in place to restore all information and ensure it does not affect the integrity of the investigation.

"I want to stress that the families are at the heart of everything we do, and we are determined to ensure they continue to have trust and confidence."

A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner's Office said: "Nottinghamshire Police has reported an incident, and we are assessing the information provided."