Hackers took down high-secure hospital’s security system

A cyber attack disabled alarm systems used by staff at a high-security psychiatric hospital, HSJ can reveal.

West London Trust, which runs Broadmoor hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire, is still trying to fix the system after an attack which it says took place in January.

The facility was forced to use extra alarms, radios and staff “in order to respond to incidents in a timely fashion”, a trust board report from April said.

High-secure hospitals are used for patients who have been detained under mental health legislation or present an immediate risk of harm to others, and have the same security arrangements as category B prisons.

Staff have access to alarms for their safety and that of their patients.

In a board report last week, West London Trust said clinical and operational services continued to operate with “minimal” disruption to patients. It said the organisation’s “cyber posture” would be enhanced to “limit the impact of future incidents”.

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Source: HSJ, 19 June 2025