Hundreds of cancer patients affected by NHS cyberattack, thousands of appointments cancelled

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Patients whose treatments were cancelled this week due to a major cyberattack on NHS hospitals in London included cancer patients and those requiring emergency surgery. The Independent can betray.

More than 200 emergency and life-saving operations, including those required within 24 hours, have had to be cancelled by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust (GSTT) and King’s College University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

According to information available to this newspaper, the extent of the disruption to NHS services in south London is becoming apparent after Synnovis, a provider of pathology services to hospitals, fell victim to a ransomware attack by Russian cybercrime hackers.

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It is not yet clear how long the disruption will last, but hospitals fear they will be in trouble if it lasts more than a few days. One source said Synnovis runs tens of thousands of tests a day but cannot do so because it does not have access to the systems.

GSTT and King’s College declared critical incidents this week, as did mental health and social care provider South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, which was also affected.

The impact may also extend beyond London, as Synnovis also provides some services to other hospitals.

The Independent can reveal:

Blood transfusions have been a major problem following the attack and health officials are concerned that blood transfusions will be required for emergency operations. However, as reported earlier this year, there is a shortage of blood for O-positive and O-negative blood types across the country.

Synnovis supplies the IT platform for pathology services to hospitals such as Guy’s Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College Hospital, Royal Brompton Transplant Centre, Harefield Hospital and Evelina Children’s Hospital.

It is also the primary provider of a pathology platform for primary care services in six London boroughs – Bromley, Southwark, Lambeth, Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

The ransomware attack that took place on Monday is said to have been carried out by the Russian cybercrime group Qilin. However, Synnovis has received a ransomware message The Independent To the best of the author’s knowledge, it is not clear whether the hackers stole patient data.

Sources told The Independent The impact on NHS services could last for months, although the most urgent and essential services could be restored within weeks.

The National Cyber ​​​​Security Centre (NCSC) is involved in tackling the situation alongside the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care.

An NHS London spokesperson said: “NHS staff are working around the clock to minimise the significant disruption to patient care following the ransomware cyberattack and we are sorry for everyone affected. Pathology services are an essential part of a wide range of treatments and we understand that a number of operations and appointments have had to be cancelled as a result of this attack.

“We continue to work with hospitals and local GP services to fully assess the disruption and ensure data is accurate. In the meantime, we continue to advise patients to attend their appointments if they have not been contacted.”

A Synnovis spokesperson said: “Synnovis continues to work closely with NHSE and NCSC to prioritise and restore our services as quickly and safely as possible.

“We are in the process of implementing a number of operational workarounds to minimize the impact on partner services. Our teams are working continuously and we will provide further updates as soon as we are able.”

This article was updated at 9:55am on 10 June to correct the name of the Royal Brompton Hospital, which was previously Royal Papworth.