In the aftermath of the Synnovis ransomware attack that struck last week, London hospitals continue to struggle to deliver patient care at an optimal level. The attack on the pathology services provider has brought down the daily blood sampling count in major London hospitals from 10,000 to merely 400 per day, according to Synnovis.

“Urgent requests are severely restricted at around 400 a day. Historically primary care and community services have generated around 10,000 samples a day for testing, which gives you an idea of the scale of the impact.” - Synnovis

Services including blood transfusions reportedly remain severely disrupted at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital and King's College Hospital. Both hospitals are experiencing disruption of pathology services, particularly blood tests.

Blood Testing Severely Impacted After Synnovis Ransomware Attack

The biggest challenge that Synnovis is currently facing is that all its automated end-to-end laboratory processes are offline since all IT systems have been locked down in response to the ransomware attack. “This means we are having to log all samples manually when they arrive, select each test manually on analyzers and, once tests have been processed, type in each result on the laboratory’s computer system (the Laboratory Information Management System - LIMS),” Synnovis said. And this is not the end of it. Synnovis then must manually deliver these results to the Trust’s IT system so that the results can be further electronically submitted back to the requester. But since the Synnovis’ LIMS is presently disconnected from the Trusts’ IT systems, “this extensive manual activity takes so much time that it severely limits the number of pathology tests we can process at the moment,” Synnovis explained. The pathology service provider normally processes around 10,000 primary care blood samples a day, but at the moment is managing only up to 400 from across all six boroughs. “Despite the measures we know colleagues are taking to prioritize the most urgent samples, we are receiving many more than we can process and we have an increasing backlog,” Synnovis said. The lab services provider last week was able to process around 3,000 Full Blood Count samples but could not export results due to the lack of IT connectivity. “Of those tests processed, we have phoned through all results that sit outside of critical limits, however, we have been unable to return any results electronically and are unlikely to be able to do so,” Synnovis said. The impact of the Synnovis ransomware attack is also felt on NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), as it appealed to the public earlier this week to urgently donate O blood-type (+ve and -ve) across England. The attack caused significant disruption on the hospitals’ ability to match patients’ blood types, leading to an increased demand for O-positive and O-negative blood donations that are medically considered safe for all patients.

Will Process only 'Clinically Critical' Blood Samples

To manage the inadequacy of the services, the service provider is momentarily only accepting blood samples that the requesting clinician considers to be “clinically critical.” Clinicians need to consider a test as “critical” only if a test result is needed within 24 hours to determine a patient’s urgent treatment or care plan. “As experts, your clinical view of what is considered ‘critical’ will be accepted by the laboratory, but we urge you to apply this definition carefully, given the severe capacity limitations we are facing,” Synnovis recommended. [caption id="attachment_77097" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Source: Synnovis[/caption] The pathology service provider is also working with NHS Trust to install laptops at the hub laboratory, which will give them access to the Trust IT systems to return test results electronically.

Caregivers Working Overtime

Doctors and caregivers at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital and King's College Hospital have been putting in extra hours since the Synnovis ransomware attack disrupted services last week. But this is not enough, as KCH has already cancelled some of its operations and is working only at about 70% capacity. Three of its 17 operating theatres remain shut, BBC reported.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is urgently appealing for O blood-type donors across England after a ransomware attack affected several major London hospitals. The cyberattack caused significant disruption on the hospitals' ability to match patients' blood types, leading to an increased demand for O-positive and O-negative blood donations, which are safe for all patients. The public health institution is asking donors of these blood types to book appointments at any of the 25 NHS blood donor centers in England in order to boost limited stocks and ensure the availability of essential blood supplies to patients.

NHS Blood and Transplant's Urgent Appeal for Blood Donations

The recent cyberattack on the pathology firm Synnovis, believed to have been orchestrated by the Russian cybercriminal group Qilin, caused significant disruption to several London hospitals. As a result, affected hospitals have been unable to match patients' blood at the usual rates, leading to the declaration of a critical incident and the cancellation of scheduled blood transfusions. Gail Miflin, chief medical officer at NHS Blood and Transplant, emphasized the importance of O blood-type donations during this critical time. She called on existing O blood donors to book urgent appointments and encouraged potential new donors to find out their blood type and contribute to solving the shortage. During NHS National Blood Week, it was revealed that hospitals require three blood donations every minute. With around 13,000 appointments available nationwide this week, and 3,400 specifically in London, there are many opportunity for donors to come forward and contribute to blood availability. Stephen Powis, the medical director for NHS England, praised the resilience of NHS staff amid the cyberattack and urged eligible donors to come forward to one of the 13,000 available appointments in NHS blood donor centers across the country. To learn more and find details on how to donate, interested individuals are encouraged to search 'GiveBlood' online and on social media or visit Blood.co.uk. [caption id="attachment_76310" align="alignnone" width="2562"] Source: www.blood.co.uk[/caption]

Impact of the Cyberattack on London Hospitals

Several prominent London hospitals, including the King's College Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas', the Royal Brompton, and the Evelina London Children's Hospital, declared a critical incident following the cyberattack on the pathology firm Synnovis, which provides blood-testing facilities to these hospitals and several others in southeast London. The attack forced hospital staff to cancel health procedures such as cancer surgeries and transplants due to the unavailability of blood transfusion services after facing severe disruption. In a statement on its official website, an NHS London spokesperson stressed the importance of pathology services to health treatment procedures:

“NHS staff are working around the clock to minimise the significant disruption to patient care following the ransomware cyber-attack and we are sorry to all those who have been impacted. Pathology services are integral to a wide range of treatments and we know that a number of operations and appointments have been cancelled due to this attack. We are still working with hospitals and local GP services to fully assess the disruption, and ensure the data is accurate. In the meantime our advice to patients remains, if you have not been contacted please do continue to attend your appointments.”

A senior NHS manager disclosed to the Health Service Journal (HSJ) that the incident was “everyone’s worst nightmare.” As blood has a limited shelf life of 35 days, it is critical that these hospital stocks are continually replenished. More units of O-negative and O-positive blood will be required over the coming weeks to accommodate an anticipated increase in surgeries and procedures due to earlier delays. Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.