No NHS data breach after suspicious IT activity

Patients have been advised that booked appointments are still going ahead

A community health provider in Kent has said it has no evidence of unauthorised access to patient data after it was hit by "suspicious" IT activity.

Medway Community Healthcare (MCH) had to disconnect its computer system while it investigated the issue earlier this month.

MCH provides community health services for Medway residents including health visitors and district nurses, speech and language therapists, and out of hours urgent care.

A spokesperson thanked patients for their understanding after appointment "delays and disruption over the past week".

A statement from the health provider said: "Our focus has understandably been on continued safe and effective care, while NHS England oversaw a thorough and in-depth specialist investigation.

"We are now gradually and carefully reconnecting some of our priority patient systems, meaning that you should begin to see things return to normal."

Patients had been advised that booked appointments were still going ahead "unless you are told otherwise".

Blood test patients have been told to continue to turn up at NHS sites with a paper form or they will not be seen.