Major hospitals in London canceled some surgeries on Tuesday due to a cyberattack on a major service provider that had a “significant impact,” especially on blood transfusions, according to internal memos posted on social media.
The attack, carried out by Synnovis, targeted King’s College, Guy’s, and St. Thomas Hospitals in the center of the British capital.
“I can confirm that our pathology partner Synovis has experienced a major IT incident at the time,” Ian Apps, chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, wrote in a note. “Earlier today, and it’s ongoing.”
“This has a major impact on the provision of our services, with blood transfusions being particularly affected,” he added.
“Some activities have already been canceled or redirected to other service providers,” he added.
The Health Services Magazine HSJ reported, citing high-level sources, that the electronic system of the aforementioned hospitals was subjected to a ransomware attack.
One source said it could take “weeks, not days” to access patient results.