Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/04/cyberattack_on_nhs_hospitals_sees/
Source: The Register
Title: Cyberattack on NHS causes hospitals to miss cancer care targets
Feedly Summary: Healthcare chiefs say impact will persist for months
NHS execs admit that last year’s cyberattack on hospitals in Wirral, northwest England, continues to “significantly" impact waiting times for cancer treatments, and suspect this will last for "months."…
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The text discusses the ongoing repercussions of a cyberattack on NHS Wirral hospitals, primarily affecting cancer treatment waiting times and operational capabilities. It highlights the significant impact of cybersecurity incidents on healthcare services and underscores the need for robust security measures in critical infrastructure.
Detailed Description:
The text provides an in-depth account of the challenges faced by NHS Wirral in the aftermath of a cyberattack that occurred in late November 2024. The attack severely disrupted hospital operations, leading to a significant increase in waiting times for cancer treatments and other elective surgeries. Here are the major points:
– **Incident Overview:**
– The cyberattack started on November 25, 2024, affecting the main clinical system and forcing hospital staff to revert to manual operations.
– The hospitals reported that criminals accessed the system through a shared digital gateway service.
– **Impact on Patient Care:**
– Waiting times for cancer treatments reached unprecedented levels, with metrics exceeding the NHS’s established standards.
– The number of patients waiting beyond the 62-day and 104-day treatment timelines rose significantly during December.
– Significant operational challenges arose, with a reported drop in compliance for standard treatment metrics.
– **Operational Challenges:**
– The ability to track and report patient waiting times was also hampered, adding to the backlog of elective procedures.
– WUTH’s chief operating officer highlighted that both the loss of treatment opportunities and administrative disruptions were due to the cyber incident.
– **Financial Implications:**
– The cyberattack is expected to exacerbate financial challenges for the trust, contributing an estimated £3 million to their overall deficit of £14.7 million.
– Future funding and financial updates are expected as the full impact of the attack is assessed.
– **Cybersecurity Response and Recovery:**
– Despite the disruption in patient care, the trust’s cybersecurity function managed to meet most of its performance standards.
– An ongoing struggle with staffing shortages in cybersecurity roles has been identified as a challenge in effectively managing the response to cyber incidents.
– **Long-term Implications:**
– The ongoing struggles underscore the importance of robust cybersecurity measures within healthcare systems, emphasizing how such incidents can spiral into larger operational and compliance issues.
– **Learning from the Incident:**
– The trust is expected to analyze and learn from this incident, with the emphasis on improving cybersecurity readiness to mitigate future risks.
This incident serves as a critical reminder for cybersecurity and compliance professionals about the vulnerabilities in healthcare infrastructures and the cascading effects that cyberattacks can have on patient care and operational efficacy.