Patients with cancer and those needing emergency operations were among those who had their treatment cancelled this week due to a major cyber attack on NHS hospitals in London , The Independent can reveal. More than 200 emergency and life-saving operations, including those which should be done within 24 hours, had to be cancelled by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust (GSTT) and King’s College University Hospital FT. Information obtained by this paper reveals the scale of disruption to NHS services in south London after Synnovis, a supplier of pathology services to the hospitals, was hit by a ransomware attack from Russian cyber-crime hackers.
It is not yet clear how long the disruption will last, however hospitals are concerned they will struggle if it contiues for more than a few days. According to a source, Synnovis carries out tens of thousands of tests a day but is unable to do so as it cannot access systems. GSTT and King’s College declared critical incidents this week as has mental health and community care provider South London and Maudsley NHS trust, which was also affected.
The impact may also extend beyond London as Synnovis supplies, some services to other hospitals. The Independent can reveal: Blood transfusions were among the main issues following the attack and healthcare leaders are concerned as cross-checking blood will be required for emergency operations. However, as reported earlier this year there is a national shortage in the supply of O+ and O.
