Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

NHS cyber attack: Jeremy Hunt accused of 'ignoring extensive warning signs' about outdated computer systems

Labour's shadow Health Secretary says concerns were repeatedly flagged about vulnerable computer systems

Sunday 14 May 2017 09:32 BST

Concerns about outdated computer systems were repeatedly flagged up to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, according to Labour (Reuters)

Jeremy Hunt has been accused of ignoring "extensive warning signs" which could have prevented an unprecedented cyber attack from plunging the NHS into chaos.

Hospitals across England and Scotland have been crippled by the global attack, which saw about 45 organisations infiltrated by malicious software on Friday.

A number of hospitals were forced to cancel procedures after medical staff reported seeing computers go down "one by one" as the attack took hold, locking machines and demanding money to release the data.

About a fifth of trusts were hit, with six still affected 24 hours later, amid concerns networks were left vulnerable because they were still using outdated Windows XP software.

Government urged to clarify whether NHS bodies could have stopped cyber attack

The apparent chink in the NHS's defences led to criticism of the Tories after the Government decided not to extend a £5.5m support deal with Microsoft for Windows XP in 2015.

Labour's shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, in a letter to Mr Hunt, said concerns were repeatedly flagged about outdated computer systems.

"The public has a right to know exactly what the Government will do to ensure that such an attack is never repeated again," he wrote.

Mr Ashworth demanded to know why NHS organisations had failed to act on a critical note from Microsoft two months ago, what resources were being given to the NHS to bring the situation under control and what arrangements were in place to protect the NHS against cyber attacks.

There have been repeated warnings about the vulnerability of the outdated NHS systems, including from the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency, Mr Ashworth said.

Many had been left "extremely vulnerable" to an attack since 2015, when they continued to use an outdated version of Windows after a security package had been stopped.

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Show all 6

1/6Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

The elderly

“We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population,” Theresa May has said. Waits of over 12 hours in A&E among elderly people have more than doubled in two years, according to figures from NHS Digital.

Getty

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Patients going to A&E instead of seeing their GPs

Jeremy Hunt has called for a “honest discussion with the public about the purpose of A&E departments”, saying that around a third of A&E patients were in hospital unnecessarily. Mr Hunt told Radio 4’s Today programme the NHS now had more doctors, nurses and funding than ever, but explained what he called “very serious problems at some hospitals” by suggesting pressures were increasing in part because people are going to A&Es when they should not. He urged patients to visit their GP for non-emergency illnesses, outlined plans to release time for family doctors to support urgent care work, and said the NHS will soon be able to deliver seven-day access to a GP from 8am to 8pm. But doctors struggling amid a GP recruitment crisis said Mr Hunt’s plans were unrealistic and demanded the Government commit to investing in all areas of the overstretched health service.

Getty

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Simon Stevens, head of NHS England

Reports that “key members” of Ms May’s team used internal meetings to accuse Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, of being unenthusiastic and unresponsive have been rejected by Downing Street. Mr Stevens had allegedly rejected claims made by Ms May that the NHS had been given more funding than required.

Getty

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Previous health policy, not funding

In an interview with Sky News’s Sophy Ridge, Ms May acknowledged the NHS faced pressures but said it was a problem that had been “ducked by government over the years”. She refuted the claim that hospitals were tackling a “humanitarian crisis” and said health funding was at record levels. “We asked the NHS a while back to set out what it needed over the next five years in terms of its plan for the future and the funding that it would need,” said the Prime Minister. “They did that, we gave them that funding, in fact we gave them more funding than they required… Funding is now at record levels for the NHS, more money has been going in.” But doctors accused Ms May of being “in denial” about how the lack of additional funding provided for health and social care were behind a spiralling crisis in NHS hospitals.

Getty Images

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

Target to treat all A&E patients within four hours

Mr Hunt was accused of watering down the flagship target to treat all A&E patients within four hours. The Health Secretary told MPs the promise – introduced by Tony Blair’s government in 2000 – should only be for “those who actually need it”. Amid jeers in the Commons, Mr Hunt said only four other countries pledged to treat all patients within a similar timeframe and all had “less stringent” rules. But Ms May has now said the Government will stand by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame.

Getty Images

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves

No one

Mr Hunt was accused of “hiding” from the public eye following news of the Red Cross’s comments and didn’t make an official statement for two days. He was also filmed refusing to answer questions from journalists who pursued him down the street yesterday to ask whether he planned to scrap the four-hour A&E waiting time target. Sky News reporter Beth Rigby pressed the Health Secretary on his position on the matter, saying “the public will want to know, Mr Hunt”. “Sorry Beth, I’ve answered questions about this already,” replied Mr Hunt. “But you didn’t answer questions on this. You said it was over-interpreted in the House of Commons and you didn’t want to water it down. Is that what you’re saying?” said Ms Rigby. “It’s very difficult, because how are we going to explain to the public what your intention is, when you change your position and then won’t answer the question, Mr Hunt”. But the Health Secretary maintained his silence until he reached his car and got in.

Getty

"NHS Trusts have been running thousands of outdated and unsupported Windows XP machines despite the Government ending its annual £5.5 million deal with Microsoft, which provided ongoing security support for Windows XP, in May 2015," Mr Ashworth wrote.

"It effectively means that unless individual trusts were willing to pay Microsoft for an extended support deal, since May 2015 their operating systems have been extremely vulnerable to being hacked," he added.

A Freedom of Information request in February found a total of 79 English trusts have suffered ransomware attacks since June 2015, he said.

NHS website affected by international computer cyber attack (Rex)

Speaking after a Cobra meeting on Saturday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd admitted "there's always more" that can be done to protect against viruses.

She said: "If you look at who's been impacted by this virus, it's a huge variety across different industries and across international governments.

"This is a virus that attacked Windows platforms. The fact is the NHS has fallen victim to this.

"I don't think it's to do with that preparedness. There's always more we can all do to make sure we're secure against viruses, but I think there have already been good preparations in place by the NHS to make sure they were ready for this sort of attack."

The instruction file that Nurse Helen Barrow, of Littleborough, Lancashire, found on her desktop after becoming the first known UK victim (PA)

However, Ms Rudd was accused of "wild complacency" over her response and many questioned why Mr Hunt had remained quiet during the crisis.

Lord Paddick, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman and a former Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner, said Ms Rudd was "more suited to the era of analogue".

"We need to get to the bottom of why the Government thought cyber attacks were not a risk, when a combination of warnings and plain common sense should have told ministers that there is a growing and dangerous threat to our cyber security," he said.

"It is worrying that in Amber Rudd we have a Home Secretary in the digital age more suited to the era of analogue. This is not the first time she has looked lost in cyberspace.

"The Government likes to look tough, but this is an example of where it has left Britain defenceless."

A woman points to the website of the NHS: East and North Hertfordshire notifying users of a problem in its network (AFP)

Britain is spending about £50m on improving the security of the National Health Service's computer systems and had warned the NHS it faced cyber threats, defence minister Michael Fallon said.

In an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Fallon said Theresa May's Government had identified in its security review that cyber threats were one of the top three greatest threats for the country.

"We set aside £1.9billion to protect us better against cyber and a large chunk of that went to the NHS," Mr Fallon said.

"We are spending around £50million on the NHS cyber systems to improve their security, we've encouraged the NHS trusts to reduce their exposure to the weakest system, the Windows XP ... and there is money available to strengthen these systems," he added.

Additional reporting by agencies

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies