Patient records may not all have been backed up before NHS cyber attack, says Home Secretary
The startling admission came after doctors in 48 hospital trusts and GP surgeries were locked out of their confidential files
PATIENT records may not all have been backed up before Friday’s crippling NHS cyber attack.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said yesterday there was no guarantee the data could be easily retrieved.
The startling admission came after doctors in 48 hospital trusts and GP surgeries were locked out of their confidential files.
She added: “I hope the answer is yes. That is good cyber defence. We will find out over the next few days if there are any holes.”
After chairing an emergency meeting on the cyber-strike Ms Rudd said there was no evidence that patients’ private data had been read and 97 per cent of NHS trusts were now “working as normal”.
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But doctors in six areas still affected had gone back to pen and paper.
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said there was “a serious Tory failing to take cyber security seriously”, adding: “The Government must be held to account.”
NHS chiefs also came under fire for still using Windows XP. Ms Rudd admitted the outdated system had big security flaws.
She added: “I would expect NHS trusts to learn from this and to make sure that they do upgrade.”
The government has doubled spending on cyber security to £1.9billion between 2016 and 2021.
But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was blasted by Labour for ignoring “extensive warning signs” around NHS security.