NHS cyber threats ‘could put lives at risk’

CYBER threats could put the lives of patients at risk unless the NHS swiftly overhauls its security, a leading surgeon has said.

Lord Darzi said that the widespread use of outdated computer systems had made Britain’s hospitals a “soft target” for hackers.

And he warned that improving security was vital, not just to protect services from hackers but to rebuild public confidence in projects that relied on shared access to medical records in order to save lives.

Ministers yesterday pledged to spend an extra £21million on NHS cyber security, and to adopt a series of security measures which were recom- mended a year ago, before the worst cyber attack in the history of the NHS infected thousands of health service computers and left front-line hospital staff unable to access vital patient information.

Lord Darzi, a former health minister, told The Telegraph he backed the plans, which will also mean that patients can opt out of having their data shared for any purpose apart from their own care.

It follows years of controversy about plans for a shared national database, which were put on hold amid rows about who could access the data.

Ministers said the plans would “drive up security standards” across the NHS and give patients clear, informed choices about the way information about them was used. Lord Darzi, director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, said the measures struck “the right balance between the interests of patients, the NHS and medical science”.

While data security was crucial, so was the ability to share information in order to advance medical knowledge, Lord Darzi added.

“We must manage these twin aims or risk endangering the lives of all those who depend on the NHS to deliver the highest standard of care,” he said. The plans will see a new NHS hotline set up to respond to cyber threats, with action to ensure trusts stop using unsupported operating systems, including Windows XP.

Lord O’shaughnessy, Health Minister, said: “The NHS has a long history of safeguarding confidential data, but with the growing threat of cyber attacks including the Wannacry ransomware attack in May, this government has acted to protect information across the NHS.”