Patients reassured after cyberattack hits NHS
“We’d like to reassure patients that if they need the NHS and it’s an emergency that they should visit A&E or access emergency services in the same way as they normally would and staff will ensure they get the care they need.
“More widely we ask people to use the NHS wisely while we deal with this major incident which is still ongoing.”
For those who are worried about how this potential cyber-attack will affect them, we advise you to keep up-to-date with developments via reputable outlets such as the NHS and UK Government’s Twitter feeds, along with the news pages of the UK’s national media.
You may have heard or read reports of a cyberattack against the NHS which has affected a number of hospitals and GP surgeries across the country.
In some cases, as well as affecting IT systems and websites, the issue is also thought to have affected phone systems. It is believed that some hospitals and surgeries have also closed down their systems as a precaution, to check that their systems are not affected or at risk.
For those who are worried about how this potential cyber-attack will affect them, we advise you to keep up-to-date with developments via reputable outlets such as the NHS and UK Government’s Twitter feeds, along with the news pages of the UK’s national media. The extent of the attack and the affect it has had on patients will not become clear until the investigation has gained momentum in the coming hours. It would be wrong to comment any further until more information has been released by the NHS or the police.
NHS Incident Director, Dr Anne Rainsberry, said: “We’d like to reassure patients that if they need the NHS and it’s an emergency that they should visit A&E or access emergency services in the same way as they normally would and staff will ensure they get the care they need. More widely we ask people to use the NHS wisely while we deal with this major incident which is still ongoing.”
She added there are contingency plans to “keep the NHS open for business”.
NHS statement
A statement on the NHS Digital website says that the attack has not been specifically targeted at the NHS and is affecting organisations from across a range of sectors.
It reads “At this stage we do not have any evidence that patient data has been accessed.”
The statement adds: “NHS Digital is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department of Health and NHS England to support affected organisations and ensure patient safety is protected. 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.”
It is thought that the attack has been perpetrated by infecting systems with ransomware, a type of malware which locks access to computer files until a ransom is paid.
Get Safe Online 12 May 2016
www.getsafeonline.org/news/patients-reassured-after-cyberattack-hits-nhs/
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