Hundreds of cancer patients are hit as thousands of appointments are cancelled after London NHS hospitals are hit by Russian cyber attack

Thousands of appointments, transplant operations, cancer referrals and caesarean section procedures have been canceled as a result of the Russian cyber attack on London NHS hospitals, it has been revealed.

The NHS declared a ‘critical incident’ after hackers struck London hospitals on Monday, affecting Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) and King’s College Hospital Trusts.

It has now emerged that more than 200 emergency and life-saving operations in those hospitals had to be cancelled. The independent reports.

In addition, more than a third of procedures and surgeries were halted, including more than 3,000 non-surgical appointments.

People referred for an urgent cancer diagnosis, mothers awaiting caesarean sections, patients awaiting transplants and blood transfusions have also been affected.

Thousands of appointments, transplant operations, cancer referrals and caesarean section procedures have been canceled as a result of the Russian cyber attack on London’s NHS hospitals, it has been revealed (stock image)

More than 200 emergency and life-saving surgeries and more than a third of procedures and operations were halted, including more than 3,000 non-surgical appointments, after Monday’s cyber attack (file photo)

It is understood that the Synnovis IT system, which serves NHS pathology laboratories and carries out tens of thousands of tests a day, was the target of the attack.

The system is managed by SYNLAB UK & Ireland and carries out more than 32 million pathology tests annually.

Synnovis says it serves 1.7 million people in south-east London every year as it works with the two affected NHS hospital trusts.

In addition to GSTT and King’s College, mental health and community care provider South London and Maudsley NHS Trust were also affected by the cyber attack.

Earlier this week it was reported that the Royal Brompton and Harefield had to cancel potentially life-saving transplant operations, with the Evelina London Children’s Hospital also affected.

GP practices in six London boroughs also reported problems in Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark and Lambeth.

It is unclear whether the hackers, believed to be from Russian cybercrime group Qilin, infiltrated patient data.

An NHS London spokesperson said: ‘NHS staff are working around the clock to minimize the significant disruption to patient care following the ransomware cyber attack and we are sorry to anyone affected.

‘Pathology services are an integral part of a wide range of treatments and we know that a number of operations and appointments have been canceled as a result of this attack.

‘We are still working with hospitals and local GP services to fully assess the disruption and ensure data is accurate.’

Guy’s and St Thomas and King’s College hospital trusts, South London and Maudsley NHS trust, the Royal Brompton, Harefield, Evelina London Children’s Hospital and GP practices in six London boroughs were all affected by the cyber attack

Patients have been advised to continue attending their appointments unless they have been contacted directly by the affected hospitals.

Sources told The Independent that the impact on NHS services could last for months, although the most urgent and priority services could be restored within weeks.

The National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) is involved in managing the situation, along with the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care.