Procedures cancelled after cyber attack disrupts major London hospitals in 'serious IT incident'

A cyber attack has disrupted several major hospitals in London, affecting blood transfusion services, according to NHS staff memos. King's College Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' (including Royal Brompton and Evelina London Children's Hospital), and primary care services in the city have been affected by a "major IT incident" involving their pathology partner, Synnovis, according to the letters.

The incident has had a significant knock-on effect on services, with blood transfusions being particularly affected. Some procedures have been cancelled or redirected to other NHS providers as hospital administrators work to determine what can be safely performed.

A spokesperson for King's College Hospital in London confirmed the institution was impacted by the cyber attack. The attack, believed to have occurred on Monday (June 3), has left some departments unable to connect to a central server.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported that senior sources indicated the system had fallen victim to a ransomware attack. One source mentioned that accessing pathology results could take "weeks, not days."

There are also concerns that urgent and emergency care might be compromised due to the inability to obtain rapid blood test results.