NHS launches urgent appeal for blood donations after hospitals struggle to find patients following IT cyberattack | UK news

A serious cyberattack on NHS hospitals last week resulted in numerous treatments having to be cancelled or changed. According to health authorities, blood transfusions were particularly affected.

Following a cyberattack that affected some of London’s largest hospitals, the NHS has launched an urgent appeal for donations from group O blood donors.

NHS trusts said a major ransomware attack on Tuesday caused chaos across King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’, including the Royal Brompton and Evelina London Children’s Hospital, and in primary care.

On Monday, it targeted pathology partner Synnovis, leading to the cancellation of a number of treatments and having a “significant impact” on services, particularly blood transfusions.

Due to the IT attack, hospitals were no longer able to identify their patients’ blood samples as quickly as before.

Qilin, a Russian cyber criminal group, is said to be behind the attack.

NHS Blood and Transplant is now urging all O-positive and O-negative donors to make appointments at one of the 25 NHS donation centres in London to help increase supplies.

Since blood only lasts 35 days and is needed for operations and procedures, supplies must be constantly replenished.

In addition, inventories are expected to be low after the two holidays in May and the recent half-year.

Blood group 0 Negative is called the universal donor group because it can be administered to anyone and is therefore used in emergency situations.

Only 8% of the population has blood type O negative, but it accounts for about 15% of hospital admissions.

The most common blood type is O-positive. 35% of donors have it and it can be given to anyone with a positive blood type.

This means that about 76% of the population can benefit from an O-positive donation.

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Dr Gail Miflin, chief medical officer of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “To help London’s hospitals carry out more operations and provide the best possible care to all patients, we need more O-negative and O-positive donors than usual.”

“Please make an appointment to donate blood urgently at one of our 25 city and community donation centers, where there is currently good appointment availability.

“We have capacity for donors who know they have blood type O, but we also welcome new donors who do not yet know their blood type.

“Maybe you have one of those special types that can be used in an emergency.”

Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, said: “NHS staff continue to do their best to minimise the significant disruption to patients following the ransomware cyberattack on Synnovis earlier this week.”

“Urgent and emergency services are available as usual, so patients should access services in the usual way by dialling 999 in an emergency and otherwise using NHS 111 via the NHS app, online or on the phone.

“But unfortunately we know that numerous operations and appointments have been postponed or diverted to neighboring hospitals that were not affected by the cyberattack because we give priority to pathology services for the most clinically urgent cases.

“To enable London staff to care for and treat more patients, they need access to blood from blood groups O negative and O positive. So if you are in either of these groups, please come forward to one of the 13,000 appointments currently available at NHS blood centres.”