Cyberattack impacts patient care at major London hospitals

A cyberattack has hit some major hospitals in London, disrupting the provision of blood transfusions, according to communications sent to NHS staff.

King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ (including the Royal Brompton and Evelina London Children’s Hospital) and primary care in the capital were affected by a “serious IT incident” involving pathology partner Synnovis, the letters said.

Trusts reported that the incident had had a “significant impact” on the provision of services, particularly affecting blood transfusions.

Some procedures have been cancelled or transferred to other NHS providers as hospital management continues to assess what work can be carried out safely.

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

The incident is believed to have occurred on Monday and resulted in some departments being unable to connect to a main server.

According to the Health Service Journal (HSJ), several senior sources have said the system has fallen victim to a ransomware attack.

One said accessing pathology results could take “weeks, not days.”

There is evidence that urgent and emergency care in hospitals will be affected as they may not be able to access blood test results quickly.