Cyber-Attack Disrupts London Hospitals, Causes Operation Cancellations

The National Health Service (NHS) reported on Tuesday that some major London hospitals had to cancel operations due to a cyber-attack on a critical service supplier, causing significant disruptions which mainly affected blood transfusions.

The attack targeted Synnovis, a company providing pathology services, impacting King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ in central London.

“On Monday, 3 June, Synnovis, a provider of lab services, was the victim of a ransomware cyber attack,” said a spokesperson for NHS England, London region

“This is having a significant impact on the delivery of services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts and primary care services,” they added.

Ian Abbs, the CEO of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, informed staff in a memo that the attack severely disrupted their services, with blood transfusions being particularly impacted.

He mentioned that some activities had already been cancelled or redirected to other providers.

According to the Health Service Journal (HSJ), a senior source reported that it might take “weeks, not days” to regain access to pathology results.

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