Cyber Attack Causes State of Emergency in London Hospitals
A cyber-attack led to operations being cancelled and emergency patients being diverted elsewhere in London, leaving major hospitals in London to declare a state of emergency.
Hospitals affected are those affiliated with Synnovis - a provider of pathology services.
King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ - including the Royal Brompton and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital - and primary care services are among those affected.
The incident had a "major impact" on the delivery of services, especially blood transfusions and test results.
It is thought to have happened on Monday, meaning some departments could not connect to a main server.
Some procedures have been cancelled or have been redirected to other NHS providers as the hospitals try to establish what work can be carried out safely.
The NHS said emergency care continued to be available.
GP services across the boroughs of Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark, and Lambeth have also been affected.
A spokesperson for Synnovis stated that the company had deployed a "taskforce of IT experts" to "fully assess" the impact.
The NHS apologized for the inconvenience and said it was collaborating with the National Cyber Security Centre to understand the impact.
Cyber Attack Causes State of Emergency in London Hospitals
