NHS 'wide open' to cyberattacks after budget cuts - Labour

The Government's response to the NHS cyber attack has been "chaotic", with cuts leaving hospitals "wide open" to being compromised, according to Labour.

Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth told Sky News Labour would spend £5bn improving the health service's IT systems - as part of a "new deal for the NHS".

It comes as NHS organisations across the country are braced for a possible recurrence of Friday's cyberattack as staff return to work.

Cyber security experts have warned that the ransomware virus, which affected one in five NHS trusts, could be reactivated by computers and devices that have not yet been switched on.

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Mr Ashworth told Sky News: "I think the Government's response has been chaotic, to be frank.

"They've complacently dismissed warnings which experts, we now understand, have made in recent weeks.

"The truth is, if you're going to cut infrastructure budgets and if you're not going to allow the NHS to invest in upgrading its IT, then you are going to leave hospitals wide open to this sort of attack."

Home Secretary Amber Rudd will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency COBRA committee later.

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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who will attend that meeting, avoided questions from reporters as he left his house on Monday morning.

But asked if warnings about cyberattacks had been ignored, Theresa May said: "No. It was clear warnings were given to hospital trusts but this is not something that focused on attacking the NHS here in the UK."

Ms Rudd said on Sunday there was "always more we can all do to make sure we're secure against viruses", but said she thought there were "good preparations in place by the NHS to make sure they were ready for this sort of attack".

She told Sky News that trusts had been warned to upgrade their systems and that she was "disappointed" many had not done so.

In the aftermath of the attack it was revealed a number of trusts still use the outdated Windows XP operating system that was first released in 2001.

Mr Ashworth accused the Conservatives of "blaming" the NHS for the cyberattack.

On Sunday evening seven acute hospital Trusts continued to experience major disruption and were diverting patients away from A&E for a third consecutive day.

More than 200,000 victims in about 150 countries have been infected by the ransomware so far.

Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, has warned there could be a fresh wave of victims on Monday.

In total 47 NHS organisations reported being affected - and the disruption will continue into the new working week.

Trusts in Lincolnshire and Southport and Ormskirk cancelled all routine appointments for Monday, and staff have been warned to exercise caution when logging in.

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said some out-patient appointments had been cancelled on Monday, especially at Selby War Memorial Hospital, but most were not affected.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Fylde and Wyre CCG are still experiencing IT problems.

Services are open and operating "as best as possible", but the trusts have asked patients only to attend A&E in life-threatening and urgent cases.

United Lincolnshire Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust used social media to warn staff that they should not switch on any devices unless they have been specifically cleared by their manager.