NHS 'critical incident' declared as five major hospitals hit by cyber attack
Three hospitals have had to cancel urgent operations in London after a cyber attack on services run by NHS IT firm Synnovis.
As many as five hospitals have had to cancel operations and blood transfusions following a cyber attack. The NHS has declared a critical incident amid the attack that has hit sites in London.
Royal Brompton, Harefield, Guy's, St Thomas', and King's College Hospitals have all been affected.
The attack first hit on Monday (June 3) with staff forced to cancel key surgeries or send patients to other facilities at short notice.
IT firm Synnovis, which serves NHS pathology labs, is understood to be the target of the attack.
As reported by the Mirror, the Royal Brompton and Harefield have reportedly had to cancel potentially life-saving transplant operations.
And a spokesman for King's College Hospital in London confirmed it was affected by the cyber attack which is reported to have hit several NHS trusts in the capital.
As a result of the attack, some departments could not connect to their main server.
The King's said the “major IT incident” was having a major impact on the delivery of services, with blood transfusions particularly affected, a letter to staff said.
One email to staff, reportedly seen by The Mirror, read: “This is having a major impact on the delivery of our services, with blood transfusions being particularly affected.
“Some activity has already been cancelled or redirected to other providers at short notice as we prioritise the clinical work that we are able to safely carry out.”
“While we do not yet know all the details or how long this issue will take to resolve, we will keep you updated through the usual routes, including through the clinical alert system.”
In an email to staff, seen by Express.co.uk, the chief executive officer at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust confirmed a major "ongoing" IT incident with pathology partner Synnovis.
Professor lan Abbs said: "This incident is also affecting King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and primary care across south east London.
"This is having a major impact on the delivery of our services, with blood transfusions being particularly affected.
"Some activity has already been cancelled or redirected to other providers at short notice as we prioritise the clinical work that we are able to safely carry out."
He added: "I recognise how upsetting this is for patients and families whose care has been affected, and how difficult and frustrating this is for you all.
"I am very sorry for the disruption this is causing."
The incident comes following a cyber attack at a Scottish health board last month, in which a "large volume" of stolen data was reportedly published on the dark web. NHS Dumfries and Galloway was hit by the attack.
