COMMITMENT NHS IT flat out in cyber attack
Heroic NHS staff battled over the weekend to stop Friday’s cyber attack from affecting patient care.
NHS Lanarkshire was one of 13 health boards across Scotland to be affected with IT staff working dozens of extra hours to try and solve the crisis.
The computer virus is known as Wanna Decryptor or WannaCry.
It locks users’ files and demands a $ 300 (£ 230) payment to allow access.
The virus meant doctors at hospitals, including at Wishaw General Hospital, had to rely on pen and paper to process some patients.
A NHS Lana r k s h i r e spokesman this week said: “Patients should attend their planned appointments and admissions from Monday unless we have contacted them directly to advise them not to do so.
“We are delighted that the vast majority of outpatient clinics and planned operations will go ahead as normal.
“Thanks to all our staff who have worked tirelessly over the weekend to restore systems.”
Meanwhile, NHS Lanarkshire bosses have hailed the efforts of hard-working staff who carried on with their jobs under difficult circumstances.
NHS Lanarkshire chief executive Calum Campbell said: “All staff groups have shown outstanding commitment.
“In particular, it should be recognised that NHS Lana rk s h i re’s eHe a l t h Department has gone above and beyond and worked tirelessly throughout the weekend to restore critical systems and secure the IT infrastructure.
“Overall, many people have played their part and I think the outcomes speak for themselves.
“We maintained access to all three Lanarkshire emergency departments throughout the weekend, for example, working closely with Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
“Whilst staff worked around the clock we acknowledge some patients had operations and appointments cancelled. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and we are endeavouring to rearrange these now.
“I’m incredibly proud of all staff and partners for the team effort and resilience shown to overcome the many local challenges that were thrown up by this significant global incident.”
NHS Lanarkshire chair Neena Mahal added: “I am being kept up to date on the current cyber attack situation and am very proud of the tremendous response from our staff. “Thank you to all of you.” Organisations across Scotland have been warned to take steps to protect cyber security as systems got back up and running at the start of the working week.
However, Health Secretary Shona Robison said there was no evidence that patient data had been compromised.