November 26, 2024 at 06:48AM
A UK hospital trust has declared a “major incident” due to cybersecurity issues, canceling all outpatient appointments. The problem affects multiple hospitals and remains unresolved. Officials urged patients to seek emergency care only for serious issues and have not confirmed if ransomware is involved, amid ongoing cybersecurity challenges for the NHS.
### Meeting Takeaways:
1. **Incident Declaration**: Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust has declared a “major incident” due to cybersecurity issues, impacting all outpatient appointments.
2. **Affected Facilities**: The incident affects multiple facilities, including Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital, Clatterbridge Hospital, and Arrowe Park Hospital.
3. **Cancellation of Appointments**: All outpatient appointments have been canceled since Monday, and this cancellation extends to today (Tuesday). Patients will be contacted to rearrange their appointments.
4. **Emergency Department Guidance**: Patients are advised to visit the emergency departments only for genuine emergencies, such as chest pains, choking, or serious injuries.
5. **Ongoing Issues**: The Trust is still managing the fallout from tech problems that began on Monday, with the specifics of the situation under wraps.
6. **Lack of Information**: There is limited information on whether the incident involves ransomware or how it is impacting other hospital departments beyond accident and emergency.
7. **Security Measures**: The Trust has confirmed that business continuity processes are in place during the incident.
8. **Request for Details**: The Trust has deferred questions regarding external help and involvement of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and National Crime Agency (NCA), as well as the expected duration of issues.
9. **Context of Cybersecurity Challenges**: The incident comes in a year where the NHS faced significant cybersecurity challenges, including major ransomware attacks affecting services in England and Scotland.
10. **Historical Impact of Cyber Attacks**: A previous ransomware attack on pathology services resulted in over 10,000 appointments and nearly 2,000 procedures canceled over five months, impacting blood donation appeals and patient care significantly.
11. **Data Breaches**: In February, a separate ransomware attack on NHS Scotland resulted in data theft, with warnings issued to affected individuals regarding potential extortion and phishing risks.
Overall, the Trust is currently navigating a significant cybersecurity incident with widespread effects on operations and patient services. Further updates are expected as the situation develops.