Cyberattack 'destroyed' HSE's IT systems
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The cyberattack on the health service has 'destroyed the IT system' the HSE’s group head for acute hospitals said today, warning that a 'complete rebuild' was required.
Almost two weeks since the hackers struck, hospital systems continue to face an uphill struggle, said Dr Vida Hamilton, with patient services still badly affected.
The HSE has been forced to use social media in recent days to post updates because of the lack of a functioning email system and other internal communications.
Dr Hamilton wrote on her Twitter account: “The #cyberattack didn’t switch off the hospital computer system, it destroyed the IT system. This is not a check, firewall and switch on, this is a complete rebuild. The work and the pace of it is intense.”
She welcomed the return of some services as “brilliant” but warned there is still a long way to go.
“Hospitals are getting on with it and caring for as many patients as they can and as safely,” she said. “Hospitals are delivering care as safely as possible and matching demand against safe capacity.” Comparing healthcare to the aviation industry, Dr Hamilton said the HSE now has “limited navigation system, manual safety alerts.”
She cautioned that it will a long time before services return to how they were in early May.
She said: “… restoration of healthcare systems requires all IT-run devices to be checked, cleansed or replaced and then connected to the rebuilt IT system. This is huge.”
This comes as hospitals in Munster continue to warn of reduced services because of the impact of the cyberattack.
Every birth at UMHL is notified to @CommHealthMW within 36 hrs. It allows mum & baby to receive a visit from a public health nurse w/ 48 hrs of discharge.📸The workaround during the #cyberattack involves a manual completion & sharing of the notification of birth.#TeamULHG
— HSE Mid West (@HSEMidWest) June 2, 2021
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University Maternity Hospital Limerick usually notifies births to community services for an instant link-up with new mothers.
Photographs shared on the hospital social channels show midwives flanked by high-tech equipment but using pen and paper only to manually refer women.
Radiotherapy has re-started at Cork University Hospital, having been carried out at the private UPMC Bon Secour cancer centre since the attack.
Surgery, outpatient appointments and Warfarin clinics are going ahead, unless patients are told otherwise.
The Mercy Hospital has asked the public to only attend emergency departments for urgent cases.
University Hospital Waterford continues to ask patients attending the hospital to bring any documents with their MRN (medical record number) on it.
Covid-19 test centres in Ennis and Nenagh continue to be walk-in centres, with no appointment needed.
In Cork Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould has raised concerns around the impact of the hack on vaccinations for vulnerable, housebound people.
Vaccinations continue for about 4,000 people already entered into the scheme, but his concern is for people needing to be referred now.
GPs usually refer patients to the national ambulance service using an online portal.
A HSE spokeswoman said: “GP referrals for all treatments and diagnostics have been off line since the criminal cyber attack on May 14t. The HSE is working to restore IT systems, including those that link GPs to the HSE services as soon as possible.”
Mr Gould called on the HSE to urgently find an alternative. He said a workaround is needed, and suggested: “a phoneline service for GPs to refer patients onto the national ambulance service”.