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NHS Ransomware Attack Still Causes Healthcare Disruption 18+ Months Later

Technadu • April 20, 2026

The June 2024 infiltration of pathology provider Synnovis by the Qilin ransomware syndicate remains a critical case study in cyberattack healthcare disruption. More than 18 months after the initial breach, the NHS ransomware attack continues to impair clinical workflows and diagnostic infrastructure across multiple South East London hospitals.

At the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), digital pathology systems remain offline. Clinical personnel are operating under extended business continuity protocols, necessitating the manual transcription of laboratory results.

Internal documents cited by The Record suggest that at least one NHS trust is still working with partially restored systems and substantial backlogs of delayed test results. As of early 2026, this infrastructure deficit has created a backlog of approximately 161,560 unfiled pathology reports.

Furthermore, data interoperability via the London Care Record remains compromised for SLaM patients, forcing clinicians to rely on telephonic communication for critical diagnostics and manual PDF uploads for standard results.

Internal SLaM documentation recorded 122 patient safety incidents directly correlated to unavailable, incorrect, or delayed laboratory data and more than 11,000 canceled appointments at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

Most severely, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that diagnostic delays stemming from the breach acted as a contributing factor in one complex patient fatality, as Qilin’s “political protest” NHS cyberattack led to one patient's death in 2025 after waiting for blood test reports.

These severe patient safety risks highlight the cascading clinical consequences, reinforcing the critical need for resilient healthcare cybersecurity architectures.

In other news, an NHS Scotland domain was breached to host adult content and illegal sports streams, exposing infrastructure vulnerabilities earlier this month. In December, NHS tech provider DXS International confirmed a data breach claimed by the DevMan Ransomware group.

The full story

This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Ongoing Disruption from Qilin Ransomware Attack on NHS Vendor In June 2024, the Qilin ransomware syndicate infiltrated Synnovis, a pathology provider for the NHS, causing significant disruptions in healthcare services. As of early 2026, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) is still experiencing operational challenges, with digital pathology systems remaining offline. Internal documents reveal a backlog of approximately 161,560 unfiled pathology reports and 122 patient safety incidents linked to the attack. The breach has led to reliance on manual processes for laboratory results, severely impacting patient care and safety. Notably, diagnostic delays contributed to a patient fatality in 2025. Additionally, other NHS trusts are still dealing with the ramifications of this attack, highlighting the urgent need for improved cybersecurity measures in healthcare. Recent breaches at NHS Scotland and DXS International further underscore ongoing vulnerabilities in the sector. 2 sources 68

Extracted Entities

NHS Ransomware Attack Still Causes Healthcare Disruption 18+ Months Later

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Extracted Entities

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Companies (5)

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Ransomware Groups (3)