Highly sensitive patient information exposed in London NHS hospitals data breach

Legal Director Christine Sabino discusses the details of the London NHS hospitals data breach, including how the breach occurred, what data has been exposed and what actions any victims can take to claim compensation.

A ransomware attack carried out against NHS blood testing company Synnovis has led to almost 400GB of data, including highly sensitive patient information, being stolen and shared to a darknet site.

The attack affected seven hospitals run by two separate NHS trusts, Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College. The data exposed includes patient names, dates of birth, NHS numbers, and descriptions of blood tests.

The hack has also led to more than 3,000 hospital and GP appointments, as well as operations, being disrupted.

Qilin, a Russian gang of cybercriminals, has taken responsibility for the attack and threatened to publish the data if they are not paid.

It has not been disclosed how much Qilin are demanding from Synnovis, or if any negotiations have taken place, but the fact that data has already been published indicates that the original ransom demand was not met.

NHS England has acknowledged the attack, stating: "We understand that people may be concerned by this, and we are continuing to work with Synnovis, the National Cyber Security Centre and other partners to determine the content of the published files as quickly as possible.”

Synnovis said: "We know how worrying this development may be for many people. We are taking it very seriously and an analysis of this data is already underway."

If you have been contacted to inform you that your data has been compromised in the London NHS hospitals data breach and need advice on whether you are entitled to claim compensation, the team at Hayes Connor can help.

We are one of the country’s leading teams of data breach experts and will be on hand to advise you on the most appropriate steps you can take for your individual circumstances.

To find out more and to receive immediate advice about your situation, please fill in our online claim form.

What to do if you are concerned about the London NHS hospitals data breach

We understand how upsetting it can be to learn that your personal data has been exposed. We all expect that our information will be kept secure, especially as this is a strict legal obligation for any organisation that handles personal data.

When a data breach of this magnitude occurs, you should be informed if your data has been compromised. Should you have any concerns about the security of your data, and you have not been contacted by the relevant NHS Trust, it is vital that you get in touch with them as soon as possible to clarify your situation.

Stolen data is frequently shared on the dark web or can be used directly against you, often in the form of a series of phishing attacks. If your data has been exposed in a data breach, it is important to be aware of any phishing attacks which are designed to extract further personal information from you.

There are several steps you can take to prevent someone from using your personal data against you. To learn more about this, please read our helpful guide on what you do if your data has been stolen in a data breach.

If your data has been exposed in the London NHS hospitals data breach, you should be aware of the legal options that may be available to you and whether claiming compensation will be possible. This is where the expertise of our dedicated data breach solicitors will be vital.

How Hayes Connor can help anyone affected by the London NHS hospitals data breach

The potential consequences of a data breach can be extremely serious, especially where delicate information falls into the wrong hands.

At Hayes Connor, we have previously supported individuals affected by various data breaches, so we are sensitive to the damage that they can cause. We have one of the largest teams of data breach specialists in the country, with a wealth of combined experience and expertise in supporting victims of all forms of data breaches.

When you make a data breach enquiry with our team, we will work alongside you so that we can understand how you may have been affected by the incident. This will then provide us with the information we need to make an informed decision on whether it will be possible to make a data breach claim and what the process for doing so involves.

We know that discovering you have been an innocent victim in a data breach can be incredibly distressing. We always make sure to provide close personal support and to keep the claims process as simple and straightforward as possible.

You can find out more about our expertise and how we handle data breach claims here.

To speak to a member of our team about the London NHS hospitals data breach, please do not hesitate to give us a call on 0151 363 5895, or use our online claim form.