In the statement issued on Sunday,, external Mansfield said: "Immediate steps were also taken to secure the records and prevent further access that was not for a legitimate, clinical reason.

"We have reported the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), and we will continue to keep Noah's family informed as our investigation progresses."

Anna Turner, the trust's deputy director of communications, said the breaches were found through a "proactive" search because the case was high profile.

She said the trust was taking steps to prevent further unlawful access to records.

"We've made it impossible to find [Noah's] record, which is something we're able to do in this specific case," she added.

On Saturday, the trust wrote to all staff informing them about the breach and "to make it clear we're taking very swift action".

"We train all of our staff on information governance practice, with regular reminders, including posters in staff areas," Turner added.

In a statement, the ICO said: "We can confirm that we are making enquiries with East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

"A series of recent high-profile incidents involving unauthorised access to patient records is painting an extremely worrying picture."

It stressed that any healthcare professionals knowingly or recklessly accessing patient data beyond their remit risked "your livelihood, your professional accreditation" and could face "criminal sanctions".