UK national blood stocks in ‘very fragile’ state following ransomware attack

A ransomware attack on London hospitals has left national blood stocks “in a very fragile position”, prompting a warning that amber alert status could be enacted, which would restrict transfusions to only the most critically necessary cases. Over 6,000 outpatient appointments and 1,400 surgeries, including cancer treatments, have been postponed due to the attack. Current blood matching test capacity is only around 54% of usual, with O-negative red cells at roughly a third of the NHS target level.