In a severe disruption, London hospitals rescheduled over 800 planned operations and more than 700 outpatient appointments following a significant cyber attack.
The attack targeted Synnovis, a key pathology services provider, significantly impacting hospital services, particularly at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
Operations and Appointments Affected
Dr. Chris Streather, the Medical Director, warned that the disruption would have a lasting impact, highlighting the extensive effects of the cyber attack on health services.
According to NHS London, they rescheduled five planned C-sections, redirected 18 organs to other trusts, and postponed 861 outpatient appointments, including 736 hospital and 125 community outpatient visits.
Testing and Emergency Services
The cyber attack significantly reduced the number of tests that can be processed, therefore affecting the delivery of results to clinical teams. Consequently, NHS London temporarily suspended optional blood-borne virus tests, such as for HIV, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis B.
Despite these setbacks, primary care appointments are proceeding normally. However, NHS London is prioritizing blood tests for urgent cases. In response to the situation, NHS England London declared a regional incident and is actively working with neighboring providers and national partners. Thus, they are ensuring that patients needing urgent care can still receive it.
Measures to Mitigate Impact
In response to the attack, NHS England London has been “working round the clock” to mitigate the effects, said Dr. Streather.
They have implemented measures such as re-routing blood tests from GP surgeries, collaborating with NHS Blood and Transplant to secure additional stocks of “universal” blood types, and transferring operations to unaffected hospitals. Urgent and emergency services remain available, and patients are encouraged to access these services as usual.
NHS England London cautioned that ransomware attacks always carry the risk of data breaches. “Investigations are continuing to establish any possible impact,” officials stated.
As a precautionary measure, NHS London urges individuals with O Positive and O Negative blood types to donate blood over the next few weeks to bolster supplies.
Ongoing Updates and Information
NHS England London will now publish weekly updates on the situation, with the next update scheduled for June 21. These updates will provide the public with unverified management information to keep them informed about the progress in recovering from the attack and the ongoing measures to mitigate its impact.
