London hospitals hit by cyber attack

A cyber attack's hit a number of major hospitals in London with some operations being cancelled.

Memos to NHS staff at King's College and Guy's and St Thomas', say the delivery of blood transfusions has been badly affected.

The letters describe the attack as a major IT incident involving pathology partner Synnovis

They provide pathology services which means results could now take "weeks, not days".

Trusts reported that the incident has had a "major impact" on the delivery of services, with blood transfusions particularly affected.

Some procedures have been cancelled or have been redirected to other NHS providers as hospital bosses continue to establish what work can be carried out safely.

One patient, Oliver Dowson, 70, was prepared for an operation from 6am on Monday June 3, at Royal Brompton when he was told by a surgeon at about 12.30 that it would not be going ahead.

He told the PA news agency: "The staff on the ward didn't seem to know what had happened, just that many patients were being told to go home and wait for a new date.

"I've been given a date for next Tuesday and am crossing my fingers - it's not the first time that they have cancelled, they did it on May 28 too, but that was probably staff shortages in half term week."

A spokesman for King's College Hospital in London confirmed it was affected by the attack.

The incident is thought to have occurred on Monday, meaning some departments could not connect to a main server.

According to the Health Service Journal (HSJ), several senior sources have told it the system has been the victim of a ransomware attack.

One said gaining access to pathology results could take "weeks, not days".

There are suggestions urgent and emergency care at the hospitals will be affected as they may not be able to access quick-turnaround blood test results.

In 2021, it was announced that SynLab would partner with the NHS to deliver pathology services at hospitals and GP services across South East London.

As well as serving King's and Guys' and St Thomas', the pathology service also caters for South London and Maudsley and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trusts and a number of GP practices, clinics and other community services across the boroughs of Bromley, Lambeth and Southwark.

Pathology services help with the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and infections by analysing samples including blood and tissue.

A spokesperson for NHS England London region said: "On Monday June 3 Synnovis, a provider of lab services, was the victim of a ransomware cyber attack.

"This is having a significant impact on the delivery of services at Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts and primary care services in south-east London and we apologise for the inconvenience this is causing to patients and their families.

"Emergency care continues to be available, so patients should access services in the normal way by dialling 999 in an emergency and otherwise using 111, and patients should continue to attend appointments unless they are told otherwise. We will continue to provide updates for local patients and the public about the impact on services and how they can continue to get the care they need.

"We are working urgently to fully understand the impact of the incident with the support of the government's National Cyber Security Centre and our cyber operations team."

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