More than 800 planned operations and 700 outpatient appointments were rescheduled following a cyber attack on Synnovis, a pathology service provider, which occurred on June 3, 2024.
The attack disrupted pathology services at several healthcare institutions including King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT, and South London and Maudsley NHS FT. Additionally, Oxleas NHS FT, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, Bromley Healthcare, and primary care services in south east London were impacted.
NHS England reported on June 14 that 97 cancer treatments, five caesarean sections, and 18 donated organs were affected by the attack. Pathology services in south east London are currently operating at only 10% of capacity, with blood tests being prioritized for urgent cases.
Dr. Chris Streather, medical director for NHS London, acknowledged that the disruption will be ongoing and expressed the significant impact on services in the region. Efforts are being made to reschedule postponed appointments and procedures as quickly as possible.
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is stepping in to treat some patients affected by the cyber attack, setting up an incident response room to manage requests and continue providing services. Synnovis is working on technical recovery, while investigations into potential data breaches are ongoing.
