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from the guess-which-platform-they're-running dept.
The Mirror reports
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals in Goole, Grimsby, and Scunthorpe, [...] provides services to more than 350,000 people.
[...] Dr Karen Dunderdale, the trust's deputy chief executive, told the Grimsby Telegraph [October 31]: "A virus infected our electronic systems yesterday and we have taken the decision, following expert advice, to shut down the majority of our systems so we can isolate and destroy it.
[...] "All adult patients (over 18) should presume their appointment or procedure has been cancelled unless they are contacted."
[...] "Major trauma cases will be diverted to neighbouring hospitals as will high risk women in labour.
"While our emergency departments remain open and are accepting ambulances, we would urge people to only visit if they absolutely need to, [i.e.] it is an accident or emergency.
The Lincolnite adds:
Mark Brassington, Chief Operating Officer at [United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT)], said: "Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) has had to [shut down] all their electronic systems due to a computer virus.
"ULHT shares four clinical IT systems with NLAG, so, as a precautionary measure to protect ULHT, links with these shared systems have been stopped.
"We have a plan in place to minimise risks to patients which includes reverting to manual systems.
"The biggest impact on the trust is in processing of blood tests, access to historical test results and availability of blood for blood transfusions.
"Our number one priority is keeping patients safe so we are [canceling] all planned operations tomorrow (Tuesday 1 November) unless there is a clinical reason not to.
"We are trying to contact all patients, but patients due to have an operation on Tuesday are being asked to not turn up unless they hear otherwise.
Any bets on whether the version of the operating system they run is even supported?
Previously:
UK.gov Still Running XP--but Without Support Agreement.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 03 2016, @11:35PM
It could be more interesting than that. I saw one place I was looking for work. MFC/C++ was one of the requirements to get the job. Hospitals and health workers are notoriously conservative and slow on the upgrade. Would not surprised me if they have win2k boxes kicking around as mainline production boxes. It would like installing RH2.1.2 and calling it a day and hope no one figures it out. They then probably outsourced the whole kit out to some Indian company who 'does the needful' but has no clue how to actually do it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 04 2016, @02:17AM
Hospitals and health workers are notoriously conservative
While that is likely true for healthcare administrators (CxOs; MBAs; bean counters), check out the nurses' unions before making too broad a statement.
Their positions on workers' rights are not what I would call "Conservative".
and slow on the upgrade
If their RFQs mandated cross-platform support, that would give their equipment (to which they must interface with their computers) greater flexibility and longer life without tying themselves to a particular version[1] of a particular vendor's OS.
...or ($DIETY forbid) one version of one platform-specific browser.[1]
[1] Monumentally stupid ideas.
Their information technologists need to be much more outspoken on this.
That would mean, of course, that the IT gang would also need to be current on multiple platforms.
...and not taking M$'s gelt.
Using platform-independent FOSS apps also seems like a no-brainer to me.
(More and more gov'ts are realizing the wisdom of openness.)
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