Major cyber incident paralyses Wirral Hospital Trust

A significant cybersecurity incident has brought operations at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to a near standstill, forcing the cancellation of all outpatient appointments and severely disrupting hospital services across multiple sites.

The trust, which oversees Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital, Clatterbridge Hospital, and Arrowe Park Hospital, declared a “major incident” on Monday due to unspecified cyber security challenges. Hospital officials remain tight-lipped about the precise nature of the technological disruption.

A trust spokesperson confirmed the ongoing situation, stating: “A major incident was declared at the Trust yesterday for cyber security reasons and the incident remains ongoing. We are working to rectify the issue and our business continuity processes are in place.”

The cyber attack has rendered electronic systems inoperable, forcing staff to conduct operations manually. One hospital staff member described the situation to the Liverpool Echo, revealing the extensive impact: “Everything is down. Everything is done electronically so there’s no access to records, results or anything so we are having to do everything manually, which is really difficult. The damage is huge.”

While most hospital services have been suspended, the trust emphasised that maternity services remain unaffected. Antenatal appointments, community midwife consultations, scans, and post-natal visits will continue as normal.

The public has been urged to attend the Emergency Department only for genuine emergencies. For non-urgent health concerns, patients are advised to use NHS 111, visit walk-in centres, urgent treatment centres, consult their general practitioner, or seek pharmacy advice.

This incident is the latest in a series of cyber attacks targeting healthcare infrastructure in the United Kingdom. In June 2024, a ransomware strike on Synnovis, a pathology services provider, led to over 10,000 outpatient appointments being canceled and nearly 2,000 medical procedures being postponed.

A spokesperson from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) acknowledged the ongoing situation, stating: “We are working with NHS England to fully understand the impact of an incident.”