IT systems turned off after cyber attack

GP surgeries unable to book appointments

IT systems at GP surgeries in Peterborough and across Cambridgeshire were shutdown due to the cyber attack which caused huge disruption to the NHS.

The decision to close the systems was taken as a precautionary measure last Friday, the same day as the ransomware attack which hit 47 NHS trusts.

Some patients ringing to book a GP appointment in Peterborough on Monday morning were left frustrated as practices were unable to book them in, but the IT systems were back up and running later in the day.

A spokesperson for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group said: “Locally, the NHS has continued to treat patients throughout the weekend.

“None of our local hospitals were directly affected by the cyber attack, although a number of precautionary actions were put in place over the weekend.”

The North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City Hospital, Stamford and Rutland Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital, took its website down over the weekend as a precautionary measure.

A spokeswoman for the trust said on Friday it had taken “additional precautionary measures to maintain our secure systems under the guidance of NHS Digital.”

The WannaCry ransomware attack - which locks computer systems and demands a $300 payment to allow access to them - affected machines in 150 countries, including companies such as FedEx and Renault.

The virus, which forced IT and phone systems to be shut down, led to hospitals cancelling treatments and appointments and saw them divert ambulances to other sites.

Although no Cambridgeshire hospitals were hit by the cyber intrusion, the neighbouring trust which runs Boston, Grantham and Lincoln hospitals cancelled outpatient appointments and routine operations as it tried to get its systems back in order.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it would be back to “business as usual” from yesterday, with the majority of appointments going ahead as planned. Across the UK, patients can now attend all A&Es as normal, with patients no longer being diverted elsewhere.

NHS Digital said the cyberattack was “not specifically targeted at the NHS.”

News outlets were reporting this week quotes from security experts that a North Korea-linked group is believed to be behind the attack.

‘A number of precautionary actions were put in place over the weekend.’