First NHS cyber attack death confirmed

A cyber attack caused a long wait for a blood test result which contributed to the death of a patient, HSJ can reveal.

The ransomware attack on the Synnovis pathology system last June saw more than a thousand operations cancelled as the laboratories used by two major hospital trusts were unable to report.

Since then, a harm review process has been taking place across: Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College and Lewisham and Greenwich hospitals; primary care across six boroughs; and two mental health trusts.

This morning, a spokesperson for King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust told HSJ: “Sadly, one patient sadly died unexpectedly during the cyber-attack. As is standard practice when this happens, we undertook a detailed review of their care.

“The patient safety incident investigation identified a number of contributing factors that led to the patient’s death. This included a long wait for a blood test result as a result of the cyber-attack impacting pathology services at the time. We have met with the patient’s family, and shared the findings of the safety investigation with them.”

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Source: HSJ, 25 June 2025