The Independent reports this afternoon that two major London hospital trusts have had to cancel all non-emergency operations and blood tests due to a significant cyber attack. Both King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals Foundation Trusts have seen their pathology systems compromised by malware.
Synnovis, the service provider responsible for blood tests, swabs, bowel tests, and other critical services for these hospitals, was targeted in this attack. The impact is widespread, affecting NHS patients across six London boroughs. The affected hospitals include Guy’s Hospital, which operates the Evelina children’s hospital, Harefield Hospital, King’s College Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, and St Thomas’ Hospital.
On Monday, Synnovis confirmed the severity of the attack, which has disrupted services for tens of thousands of patients. As the hospitals work to mitigate the damage and restore services, the incident highlights the vulnerability of healthcare systems to cyber threats and the far-reaching consequences such attacks can have on patient care.
The Information Commissioner’s Office is yet to comment.
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