The scale of the disruption caused by a cyber attack on pathology services provider Synnovis has been revealed. Hundreds of planned operations and outpatient appointments were forced to be rearranged at the two London NHS trusts impacted most, NHS England London said. Officials also warned disruption is expected to be felt “for some time”.
Synnovis was the victim of a ransomware attack, understood to be carried out by Russian group Qilin, on June 3. It left its ability to process and report blood tests severely reduced. At the time, health service leaders said there had been a “significant impact” at King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ – including the Royal Brompton and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital – and GP services in south-east London.
Between June 3-9, the first week after the attack, more than 800 planned operations and 700 outpatient appointments were re-arranged at the two trusts most affected – King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. In a joint statement, Professor Ian Abbs, chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and Professor Clive Kay, chief executive of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The cyber attack has had a significant impact on our services, and this is likely to remain the case for some time yet. “Despite the superb efforts of our staff and support from partners across London to continue caring for patients, .