Two NHS Trusts (King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust) and some GPs in south-east London have been significantly affected by a cyber-attack on the agency that runs their labs, Synnovis.
This is having a challenging impact on the care of both adult and paediatric kidney patients, including a delay in processing blood tests and a number of procedures and operations having to be postponed.
This includes some transplants, although where possible arrangements are being made to carry out the operations in other London hospitals.
How long will the cyber attack disruption last?
It is not clear how long the disruption may last, but it could take several weeks, or months for things to return to normal again. Many people with kidney disease – particularly those with kidney failure, those on dialysis and people who have had a transplant – rely on their medical team accessing and interpreting the results of their regular blood tests to be able to manage their kidney health. Many patients can and do also review their own blood tests, for example to check their kidney function or potassium levels.
We were worried to hear that some transplant operations have been affected, although it should be noted that some transplant surgeries were diverted to other hospitals across London.
There are also reports of patient data being made available on the dark web by the hackers. NHS England has released a statement. We strongly condemn the attackers for their malicious actions.
How could this cyber attack affect patients?
If you are concerned about how this attack could affect you, please speak to your kidney team or GP directly. If you have an appointment you should continue to attend this unless contacted and advised otherwise.
NHS England has also set up a helpline for those who are concerned about the cyber attack and the impact it may have on their care. Anyone who is worried should call the helpline on 0345 877 8967.