{
  "id": 9493016,
  "title": "Mother of teen who died ‘deeply hurt’ that NHS staff may have accessed son’s records inappropriately",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/mother-of-teen-who-died-deeply-hurt-that-nhs-staff-may-have-accessed",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-24T05:00:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC News",
    "slug": "bbc-news",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm207yn1124zo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Paula McGowan, mother of Oliver, an 18-year-old autistic boy who died in 2016, expressed deep hurt and concern over her son's medical records possibly being accessed inappropriately by NHS staff. At least five staff members from the Bristol Foundation NHS Trust may have accessed Oliver's records without permission, including three nursing staff under formal investigation and a former doctor who self-referred to the General Medical Council. The trust has voluntarily referred itself to the Information Commissioner's Office in response to these concerns, which is the latest case of staff accessing patient records without a legitimate reason. Oliver's death was reportedly avoidable, as he had a mild learning disability and epilepsy, and was given anti-psychotic medication his family warned against. The trust is now investigating 13 other cases involving former staff to determine if their access was appropriate. McGowan stated that the investigation has deeply hurt and disappointed her, especially considering the deeply personal aspects in Oliver's notes she has never shared with anyone.",
  "summary": "Oliver McGowan, who died in 2016, may have had his medical records accessed inappropriately after his death by NHS staff in Bristol.",
  "key_points": [
    "Paula McGowan, Oliver's mother, deeply hurt by possible NHS staff record access.",
    "At least five Bristol Foundation NHS Trust staff may have accessed records improperly.",
    "Trust voluntarily referred to Information Commissioner's Office over concerns."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The revelation that NHS staff may have inappropriately accessed her son's records adds distress to a family already grappling with the perceived avoidable loss of their child due to medical errors.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Health",
        "title": "NHS staff investigated over access to dead teenager's medical records",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/nhs-staff-investigated-over-access-to-dead-teenagers-medical-records",
        "published": "2026-09-24T05:00:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}