NHS hospitals in England report ‘cyber attack’ on systems

THE NHS is investigating “an issue with IT” amid reports of a cyber attack on its systems.

Hospital trusts and GP groups in Lancashire and Hertfordshire were among those reporting problems, with one warning patients to only visit hospital accident and emergency departments “if absolutely necessary”.

Here's what a London GP sees when trying to connect to the NHS network pic.twitter.com/lV8zXarAXS

— Rory Cellan-Jones (@ruskin147) May 12, 2017

An NHS Digital statement said: “A number of NHS organisations have reported to NHS Digital that they have been affected by a ransomware attack which is affecting a number of different organisations.

“The investigation is at an early stage but we believe the malware variant is Wanna Decryptor.

“At this stage we do not have any evidence that patient data has been accessed. We will continue to work with affected organisations to confirm this.

“NHS Digital is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department of Health and NHS England to support affected organisations and to recommend appropriate mitigations.

“This attack was not specifically targeted at the NHS and is affecting organisations from across a range of sectors.

“Our focus is on supporting organisations to manage the incident swiftly and decisively, but we will continue to communicate with NHS colleagues and will share more information as it becomes available.”

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the resort town’s clinical commissioning group (CCG) warned of problems.

The CCG tweeted: “We are aware of an IT issue affecting some GP computer systems.

“Patients are asked for understanding whilst the issue is resolved.

“Please avoid contacting your GP practice unless absolutely necessary. Should you wish to obtain non-urgent medical advice, please call 111.

“Please also only attend the Walk-In Centre and A&E department if absolutely necessary.”

It comes months after Barts Health Trust, the largest NHS trust in England, was hit by a ransomware cyber attack.

The trust sent a message to staff urging them not to open email attachments from unknown senders.

Viruses such as ransomware are normally delivered via emails which trick the recipient into opening attachments and releasing malware onto their system in a technique known as phishing.

NHS services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not affected.