In August, we let you know that a former trainee doctor at North Devon District Hospital, Salil Korambayil, had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape and a further 12 months for unlawful use of data. This was following the conclusion of the case and the lifting of reporting restrictions.
This was an appalling criminal case in which Salil Korambayil fundamentally abused the trust we all place in healthcare professionals. 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.
We also commissioned an external review to help us consider whether there are any other practical steps we can take to help prevent anything like this happening again. In line with our commitment to openness and transparency, we are publishing this report in full and to the public. As well as being published to our website, the report will be discussed at our public Board meeting on Wednesday 25 September. You can read the full report here.
Overall, the review concludes that the response from the Trust 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 we have accepted in full:
Recommendations 1-3 relate to improving the guidance available to managers involved in complex employee conduct issues
The report 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
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.
We have a helpline in place for anybody who would like further support. It can be contacted on 01271 335773.
