Cyber Attacks Led to NHS IT Spending Hike

It was reported last month that the NHS has significantly upped its IT spending in the wake of high profile cyber security attacks. A government policy think tank reports in recent findings that 65 NHS Trusts spent a total of £612m on IT services in 2018/19 compared to £495m the previous financial year, resulting in an annual increase of about £150m.

The NHS in particular suffered from a devastating ransomware attack in 2017 known as WannaCry, with around a third of hospital trusts and 8% of GP practices affected. Figures indicated the cost to the NHS to have been around £92m.

FDM’s COO Sheila Flavell commented on the findings:

“Building an NHS fit for the future means training and equipping doctors, nurses and medical professionals with the very latest digital skills.

“Two key elements to this effort include ensuring existing staff have the opportunity to re-skill in critical areas like big data and cyber security, as well as recruiting staff from more diverse backgrounds.

“This approach will simultaneously drive efficiencies in the health service, whilst having a real impact on patient experiences.”

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Image by Darko Stojanovic from Pixabay