NHS Forth Valley staff warned after cyber attack

The WannaCry ransomware attack, which was launched last Friday, had a relatively minimal impact on NHS Forth Valley with only three GP practices and one dental practice affected.

An NHS Forth Valley spokesperson said staff were being kept up to date with developments as they happened.

NHS systems appeared to be largely up and running on Monday, although seven out of the 47 trusts hit by last week’s attack are still seeking emergency support, according to NHS Digital.

Scottish health secretary Shona Robison said: “We are aware of a number of health boards affected by potential cyber incidents and the First Minister will chair a resilience meeting shortly.

“Scottish Government health officials are currently working closely with affected boards to assess the extent of the problem, and take steps to isolate affected systems, which have been affected by a Ransomware cyber-attack of the kind which has also affected health trusts in NHS England.

“We are taking immediate steps to minimise the impact of the attack across NHS Scotland and restrict any disruption.

“Our priority is to ensure that boards are supported to deal with this incident swiftly, and that services to patients can continue to run effectively.”

Patients are being warned of slow service at surgeries, but patient data does not appear to have been compromised. The Home Secretary Amber Rudd will hold a meeting of the emergency COBRA committee later today.

The WannaCry ransomware, which locks computer systems and demands £230 to unlock it, hit over 200,000 computers on Friday and a reported £33,000 in ransoms have been paid to date.