Synnovis rebuilds core IT systems and resumes GP testing in three boroughs

Synnovis, the pathology services provider hit by a ransomware cyber attack on Monday 3 June, has confirmed it has rebuilt its core IT systems, NHS England London announced on 15 August 2024. The rebuild means testing services for GPs in Bexley, Lewisham and Greenwich resumed from that day¹.

The 15 August update, covering the tenth week of the incident (5 to 11 August), reported that 53 acute outpatient appointments and 13 elective procedures had to be postponed in that week across King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, the two most affected trusts. Of the 13 elective procedures, 3 were cancer treatments. Since 3 June, 1,693 elective procedures and 10,054 acute outpatient appointments had been postponed at the two trusts¹. South east London pathology services provided that week increased to around 85% of normal capacity¹.

A later update, published on 29 August and covering 19 to 25 August, put the cumulative totals at 10,104 acute outpatient appointments and 1,700 elective procedures postponed since 3 June. In that week, 21 acute outpatient appointments and four elective procedures were postponed, none of them cancer treatments. No organs were diverted to other trusts and no caesarean sections were postponed². The 29 August update said most systems were fully restored, with blood sciences, tissue sciences and genetics back at pre-attack levels, and Infection Sciences expected to be at full capacity by the end of August².

Mark Dollar, chief executive of Synnovis, said that immediately following the transfer GPs would have access to the full repertoire of testing services available before the attack, and that patients registered with these practices would find it easier to get a blood test appointment. He added that patients with an "urgent test" form from their GP would still be able to attend a designated blood test clinic without pre-booking¹.

Why it matters for households

Households in Bexley, Lewisham and Greenwich are the first to see GP blood testing move back to Synnovis, with access to the same tests and volume as before the attack, according to the 15 August announcement¹. For the other three south east London boroughs, Bromley, Lambeth and Southwark, mutual aid arrangements remain in place so that all practices have access to pathology laboratory testing until services transfer¹. General practice appointments are going ahead as normal, but blood tests are being prioritised based on clinical need¹.

NHS England London's advice to the public remains: continue to attend booked appointments unless contacted to say otherwise; use NHS 111 through the NHS App, online or by phone for non-urgent care; and access emergency services in the normal way by dialling 999 in an emergency. Patients waiting on blood tests are advised to keep an eye on Swiftqueue, the online booking service, as more appointments become available¹. O negative and O positive donors are still asked to urgently book and fill appointments at donor centres, with demand for O type blood increased by both the attack and a reduction in donations during the summer period; appointments can be booked at blood.co.uk or on 0300 123 23 23¹. An incident helpline for people affected is available on 0345 8778967¹.

The 15 August update said Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts remained in a critical incident, while Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, Bromley Healthcare and primary care services in south east London continued to be significantly impacted¹. The 29 August update repeated that the two main trusts remained in a critical incident². NHS England London said all numbers quoted are drawn from unvalidated management information, provided in the interests of transparency¹.

What happens next

Full restoration of blood transfusion services remains planned for early autumn, meaning mutual aid will continue to be required for planned operations and transplants¹. Testing services for GP practices in Bromley, Lambeth and Southwark will repatriate to Synnovis in the coming weeks, and plans are being developed to fully restore pathology services for community and mental health providers². NHS England London said updates will be provided on a weekly basis as the incident continues¹.

For background on the incident and what it means for appointments and tests, see the Synnovis ransomware incident and London NHS pathology and NHS appointments, A&E and tests during an IT outage, within the cyber-attacks hub.