Major London hospitals services disrupted due to cyber-attack
A cyber attack has impacted major London hospitals, which is seriously disrupting their services, including blood tests and transfusions.
The "major IT incident" is impacting pathology systems at Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals Foundation Trusts.
According to a letter seen by the Times, the ransomware attack is having a “major impact on the delivery of services,” with blood transfusions being particularly affected.
Some procedures have been cancelled or redirected to other NHS providers as hospital administrators work to determine what can be safely performed.
A spokesperson for King's College Hospital in London confirmed the institution was impacted by the cyber attack. The attack, believed to have occurred on Monday (June 3), has left some departments unable to connect to a central server.
The Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported that senior sources indicated the system had fallen victim to a ransomware attack. One source mentioned that accessing pathology results could take "weeks, not days."
There are also concerns that urgent and emergency care might be compromised due to the inability to obtain rapid blood test results.