Salil Korambayil, a former trainee doctor at North Devon District Hospital, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape and a further 12 months for unlawful use of data.

The trust said: 'At the time of the initial allegations, the Trust acted quickly to suspend Salil Korambayil and notify the necessary regulatory bodies, and has since strengthened our data security training and processes.'

In addition, the trust commissioned an external review, which concludes that its response has been well considered and comprehensive, and the multidisciplinary approach and collaborative working with other trusts and the police ensured that the trust complied with its responsibilities to patients and regulatory bodies.

The review makes five key recommendations, which the trust has accepted in full, and also recommends:

• establishing some key principles which set out how we will communicate internally about cases that are likely to attract media coverage, paying due regard to any reporting restrictions and duty of care to all stakeholders.
• reviewing what additional safeguards we can put in place to protect patient records from inappropriate access, including consideration of an alert system.

The trust added: ‘This case highlights the importance of zero tolerance to inappropriate behaviour and harassment, and through our Sexual Safety Charter and Freedom to Speak Up Guardians we are encouraging our staff to feel safe to speak up and report concerns.

‘We have contacted the patients whose records were accessed, and the police have provided their assurance that Salil Korambayil did not share personal information onwards with others.'

In addition, the trust has a helpline in place for anybody who needs further support, which can be contacted on 01271 335773.