It is understood that the breach emerged as part of a standard information access audit carried out by the trust in the days after the attack.
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, from Fletcher’s Solicitors which represents the teenage patient, said: “This is a deeply disturbing abuse of power and a shocking breach of privacy into the care of several Southport victims, including a young girl.
“Our client, who is now growing into a young woman, is old enough to properly understand what this means: that staff opened her records, not to aid to her recovery but to pry.”
The Chief Executive of UHLG, James Sumner, said the trust was “sincerely sorry for any distress that may have been caused to the patients”.
He said that staff who were found to have accessed patient records were subject to disciplinary processes ranging from “informal counselling to a final written warning”. None of the staff members were dismissed.
Lucas said: “The decision to keep this from me for almost two years is a new low.
“I am speaking out as I want this scandal and the attempted cover up by senior management exposed for what it is.”