NHS cyber attack: Boy, 14, has cancer operation postponed

A 14-year-old boy with cancer is among hundreds of hospital patients whose medical procedures have been postponed following a cyber attack on an NHS provider.

Dylan Kjorstad was due to have a tumor removed from his ribs on June 6 at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, but the operation was postponed due to concerns about delays in the blood supply.

A ransomware attack on blood testing company Synnovis on June 3 led to disruption of clinical procedures at several London hospitals, as the hack prevented the company from sharing information matching blood supplies to patients.

Dylan's father, John Kjorstad, told the BBC that his son's condition was “very serious” and that it would be “terrible” if his chances of recovery were jeopardized by the delay.

Dylan, from Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma – a type of bone cancer – in January.

Since his diagnosis, Dylan has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy every month in an effort to shrink the tumor before surgery.

But two days before the operation, Mr Kjorstad received a call from Royal Brompton informing him that the operation would have to be postponed.

“It was one of those moments where you're trying to understand what's being said to you. It was disbelief,” he told the BBC.

“It's such a big, major surgery, and the person on the other end of the line – who was very nice and polite – said the reason it was canceled was because of a pathology issue computer science.”

The Royal Brompton Hospital confirmed the operation had been postponed due to the cyberattack. The operation was postponed until early July, the trust said.

“Our concern would then be that his operation would be postponed again. What will be the impact on his treatment and on the tumor?

Mr Kjorstad said Dylan and his family wanted to return to normal life.

“We were really hoping that his treatment would be finished by September, so he could go back to school and resume his studies.”

“It’s a very difficult time, as you can imagine.”

The attack – which is being investigated by the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber ​​Security Center – prevented blood tests and information sharing from being carried out using the computerized systems normal.

This meant that specific blood types could not be compared with the usual frequency.

Hardest hit are four London hospitals at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, where 134 planned procedures, including more than 180 cancer surgeries, have been postponed since June 3.

A further 2,194 outpatient appointments were also postponed and 64 organs had to be redirected to other NHS trusts.

A doctor at a hospital told the BBC in London that blood tests that once took an hour now took up to six hours.

Last week there was a call for donors of type O blood, as it is suitable for any patient in an emergency.

Dr Chris Streather, medical director of the NHS in London, said the hack “continues to have a significant impact” on some NHS services.

“Delaying treatment is distressing for patients and their families, and I would like to apologize to any patient who was affected by this incident.”

“Staff continue to work hard to rearrange appointments and treatments as quickly as possible,” he added.

Mr Kjorstad said he found it “sad” that vulnerable NHS patients were suffering as a result of the attack.

“We are powerless against the perpetrators because they sit in jurisdictions where normal law enforcement activities do not seem to be able to reach them.

“And I find it really sad that this is happening to the most vulnerable people – those who are seeking and needing health care.”

NHS England said people should continue to attend their appointments unless otherwise advised.

Additional reporting by Tara Mewawalla.