Major London hospitals cancel key operations due to cyberattack: Reports

LONDON

A major IT incident has been declared in several major London hospitals following a devastating cyberattack on services run by Synnovis, the National Health Service's (NHS) IT firm, the Health Service Journal reported on Tuesday.

The attack, which began on Monday, has forced the cancellation of crucial operations and blood transfusions at some of the city's leading hospitals.

The affected hospitals include Royal Brompton, Harefield, Guy's, St Thomas', and King's College Hospital.

Senior staff emails reveal that departments have been unable to connect to their main server, severely disrupting hospital operations. Patients have been redirected to other facilities as hospitals struggle to cope with the crisis.

Transplant surgeries at the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals have been canceled, and the critical incident declaration underscores the severity of the situation.

Synnovis, the contracted IT firm that serves NHS pathology labs, was the target of the cyberattack, which has resulted in significant operational halts, particularly impacting blood transfusions.

One internal email sent to staff highlighted the dire consequences of the cyberattack: "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."

The email continued: "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."