London’s hospitals hit with cyber attacks disrupting 800 surgeries

TLDR:

• More than 800 planned operations and 700 outpatient appointments were rearranged in London hospitals due to a cyber attack.
• Primary care appointments are going ahead, but optional blood-borne virus tests are suspended.

More than 800 planned operations and 700 outpatient appointments were rearranged in the first week after a cyber attack hit London hospitals. The disruption was caused by hackers targeting pathology services provider Synnovis, affecting two NHS trusts the most – King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. The attack led to rescheduling C-sections, diverting organs for transplant, postponing outpatient appointments, and suspending optional blood tests for blood-borne viruses.

Measures have been implemented to cover affected services, such as re-routing blood tests, providing extra stocks of “universal” blood types, and ensuring patients in need of time-sensitive care can receive it. NHS England London has declared a regional incident and is working with national partners to mitigate the impact of the cyber attack. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers advice on how individuals can protect against cyber crime.