The ambulance trust that oversees patients in Somerset has been left without access to electronic patient records after a cyber attack.
Both South Western Ambulance Service (SWASFT) and South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), which serve a population of 12 million people, have been affected.
NHS England has confirmed it is investigating the incident alongside the Police, and work is ongoing to reconnect the system.
South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust covers Somerset plus Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the Isles of Scilly.
The service lost access to its electronic patient records on 18th July, according to the Health Service Journal’s ambulance correspondent Alison Moore.
“This was due to a cyber attack which affected the supplier – a Swedish firm called Ortivus,” she says.
Alison says patients were not being affected directly, but ambulances were turning up without their usual levels of medical history, such as allergies, significant health incidents and medications.
She added she was sure the standard of care was still “very high” but that incidents might be taking longer to deal with.
“Crews are on the road without important information about the people they’ve been called to see,” she said.
An NHS spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident affecting a small number of ambulance services.”
“Our Cyber Security Operations Centre is working with affected organisations to investigate, alongside law enforcement colleagues.”
The 999 call system is not affected and people can still contact the ambulance services as normal.
