NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey today said staff looking at medical records for personal reasons or out of curiosity was ‘wholly unacceptable, a disgraceful breach of patient trust and against the law'  and would not be tolerated by the NHS.

Sir Jim said: ‘Anyone considering accessing records for personal reasons or out of curiosity should be in no doubt they could be putting their career at risk, and may face disciplinary action, dismissal, referral to the regulator or even time in prison.'

The campaign follows several incidents of staff being dismissed from their posts after accessing the medical records of victims of high-profile crimes, including the Nottingham attacks.

NHS England has today published new guidance for all NHS organisations on preventing and monitoring unauthorised access as well as their responsibilities in investigating and reporting it.