Cyber assault sparks NHS to declare ‘important incident’
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Hospitals are being forced to cancel operations and blood transfusions after a cyber attack sparks the NHS to declare a ‘critical incident’.
The attack, which first hit London hospitals on Monday, is affecting Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital Trusts.
Staff are being forced to cancel key surgeries or send patients to other facilities at short notice.
It is understood IT firm Synnovis, which serves NHS pathology labs, was the target of the attack.
The Royal Brompton and Harefield have reportedly had to cancel potentially life-saving transplant operations, with Evelina London Children’s Hospital also affected.
The attack, which first hit London hospitals on Monday, is affecting Guy’s, St Thomas’, Brompton, Harfield and King’s College Hospital Trusts
A spokesman for King’s College Hospital in London confirmed it was affected by the cyber attack which is reported to have hit several NHS trusts in the capital.
The incident meant some departments could not connect to their main server.
In a letter to staff, King’s said the ‘major IT incident’ was having a major impact on the delivery of services, with blood transfusions particularly affected.
An email seen by The Mirror read: ‘This is having a major impact on the delivery of our services, with blood transfusions being particularly affected.
‘Some activity has already been cancelled or redirected to other providers at short notice as we prioritise the clinical work that we are able to safely carry out.’
It added: ‘While we do not yet know all the details or how long this issue will take to resolve we will keep you updated through the usual routes, including through the clinical alert system.’
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
