Tiger killing at Yorkshire park prompts possible ambulance data breach

Medical records of William Chapman, 24, who was mauled to death by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday, may have been accessed without a legitimate reason by staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, the trust said. The trust said its audit identified two possible incidents where staff either accessed or tried to access incident and medical information about the case. It has opened an investigation to determine the full circumstances of the potential breaches. Chapman died from multiple traumatic injuries after entering the tiger’s enclosure, an inquest heard on Thursday. The ambulance service confirmed Chapman's family has been informed of the possible breach and offered its condolences. A spokesperson said, “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.” He added that the service takes patient confidentiality seriously, has robust systems, and that the issue was uncovered through proactive audits. The trust has reported the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office and said it will keep the family updated as the investigation proceeds. ## Context Data breaches involving health records are reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which enforces privacy rules in the UK. Such incidents often lead to reviews of access controls within NHS trusts.