Synnovis, an agency managing labs for NHS trusts and GPs in southeast London, suffered a data breach on June 3rd. According to figures outside NHS England, the attack has resulted in 3,396 postponed appointments and 1,255 delayed elective procedures.
Chief executives of two affected trusts have declared the incident as "critical." Data from June 17th to June 23rd shows King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust postponed 1,300 outpatient appointments and 205 elective procedures. Doctors' surgeries in London have also reported ongoing disruptions, with blood testing services significantly reduced.
Julie Lowe, deputy chief executive at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Dr. Simon Steddon, chief medical officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, issued a joint statement: “We are having to postpone a number of operations and appointments at present, and we would like to apologise again to those patients affected. Staff are continuing to do an excellent job in very challenging circumstances, for which they deserve enormous credit.”
It was reported that the cyber-attack was carried out by criminals who published sensitive patient data in an attempt to extort money from Synnovis. The ongoing disruption highlights the severe impact of cyber threats on healthcare services and the importance of more robust security measures.
