London, June 12, 2024
A cyber-attack on Synovis, a pathology company that serves several NHS trusts in London, has resulted in the declaration of a major incident by several hospitals in the city. It has led to the cancellation of surgeries and other critical patients being transferred to other hospitals.
The impacted healthcare facilities consist of King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, the Royal Brompton Hospital, and Evelina London Children’s Hospital and primary care in Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark, and Lambeth areas.
On the services aspect, there has been a considerable effect, especially in the areas of transfusion and reporting of results.A new type of virus gets into IT systems in Synovis: ransomware software causes the computer systems to freeze unless a ransom is paid.
It has caused significant disturbances to elective surgical operations and blood tests in hospitals. This situation means that patients requiring emergency attention and those with scheduled outpatient appointments still receive their services as usual. Still, many elective operations have been postponed or transferred to other hospitals.
The NHS has stated that they are working with the National Cyber Security Centre to determine the depth of the disruption and recover the implicated services. Consequently, an official of Synnovis stated that a team of technical personnel will be sent to investigate and address the issue.
People have been urged to come for their appointments without fail, even in the face of the flu outbreak. However, some of them have undergone surgeries that have been canceled, and they are merely waiting for a new schedule.
The NHS has also expressed regret for any inconvenience and is doing everything possible to reduce the effect of this cyber attack.It is concerning that such an attack can happen at any time on important organizations such as hospitals.
They also stress the need to cultivate contingency plans, staff training, and enough funding for software protection against these new and increasing risks.