IT error erased 11 years of access history for maternity records

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) lost part of its maternity-record data after an error during routine technical work. The incident occurred on August 18.

The overwritten database contained records for women and babies treated by NUH from September 2011 to November 2022. The trust said current patient care was not affected.

Patient-care data was recovered

NUH said it restored care-related information, including notes, observations, test results and other records made during treatment. It could not restore the complete access history, meaning it may be unable in most cases to establish whether a particular person viewed a maternity record during that period.

The error occurred while staff were making a copy of a radiotherapy database for reporting. Pre-written instructions previously used for another hospital system were run without changing a required setting, so the process operated on the maternity database instead.

NUH said the issue was escalated within minutes of discovery. The trust worked with external specialists and checked other information sources, then conducted a patient-safety incident investigation and said it had strengthened technical controls and processes.

Andy Callow, NUH’s chief digital and information officer, apologized for the concern and distress the incident might cause women and families. NUH also said no patient information was accessed or used inappropriately as a result of the incident.

The data loss comes during a wider police investigation into allegations about NUH’s maternity services. A review published in June linked systemic failings, including understaffing and inadequate training, to potentially avoidable harm or deaths involving more than 500 mothers and babies.

In June 2025, police separately said a file containing records for hundreds of NUH maternity patients was likely erased intentionally or maliciously; the trust recovered that data days later. Nottinghamshire Police is examining whether the latest loss affects the broader case and whether criminal charges may follow. Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin said no crime had been identified at present.

Nottingham Maternity Family Group said the latest incident was extremely unnerving for families already affected by harm, injury and bereavement.