NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has urgently called for donations of O positive and O negative blood to boost stocks following a ransomware attack which disrupted pathology services in London.
The cyberattack on pathology systems provider Synnovis on June 3, 2024 led to the cancellation of operations and appointments at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, including the transplant Royal Brompton, Harefield Hospital and Evelina. London Children's Hospital.
It has also disrupted GP services in the boroughs of Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark and Lambeth.
The IT incident means that affected hospitals cannot currently compare patients' blood with the same frequency as usual.
In a press release published on June 10, Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, said: “NHS staff continue to go above and beyond to minimize significant disruption to patients following the ransomware cyber attack on Synnovis earlier this year. week.
“But unfortunately, we know that a number of operations and appointments have been postponed or diverted to other nearby hospitals not affected by the cyberattack, as we prioritize pathology services for clinically more serious cases. more urgent.
“To help staff in London support and treat more patients, they need access to O negative and O positive blood, so if any of these match your blood type, please come forward to one of the 13,000 appointments currently available at NHS blood donation centers.”
For surgeries and procedures requiring blood, hospitals should use type O blood because it can be used safely for all patients and the blood has a shelf life of 35 days, so stocks should be continuously maintained. restocked.
This means more units of these blood types than usual will be needed over the coming weeks to support the wider efforts of frontline staff to keep services running safely for local patients.
NHSBT appeals for Type O blood donors 25 town and city center NHS blood donation centers in England.
Dr Gail Miflin, Chief Medical Officer of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Patient safety is our top priority. When hospitals do not know a patient's blood type or cannot match their blood, it is safe to use type O blood.
“To help London hospitals carry out more surgeries and provide the best possible care to all patients, we need more O Negative and O Positive donors than usual.”
Russian cybercrime group Qilin is believed to be behind the ransomware attack, according to Ciaran Martin, former director general of the National Cyber Security Centre.
Martin told BBC Radio 4's Today program that the hackers, who have previously attacked car manufacturers, Australian courts and the Big Issue, were “looking for money”.
A spokesperson for NHS London said: “NHS staff are working around the clock to minimize significant disruption to patient care following the ransomware cyberattack and we are sorry to everyone who was affected.
“Pathology services are an integral part of a wide range of treatments and we know that a number of operations and appointments have been canceled as a result of this attack.”