NHS England confirms over 6,000 operations and appointments delayed due to cyber attack
London hospitals have been affected by the Synnovis cyber attack, with more than 6,000 operations and appointments postponed. NHS England reported that 4,913 acute outpatient appointments and 1,391 elective procedures have been delayed at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust since the incident on 3 June.
Despite progress in getting services back to normal, Dr Chris Streather, medical director for NHS London, emphasized the ongoing efforts to ensure full operational capacity. The British Medical Association has agreed to allow junior doctors to work at the most affected sites during a recent strike. Pathology services in south east London have reached approximately 54% of normal capacity.
Synnovis, the pathology provider targeted by the cyber attack, stated that their IT systems were significantly impacted, leading to delays in processing and delivering test results. Efforts are underway to restore technical infrastructure and investigate the breach with the assistance of cyber specialists and the National Cyber Security Centre.
