Overlooked and under-reported: the impact of cyberattacks on primary care in the UK National Health Service

Rapid digitisation and interconnectivity of the UK National Health Service (NHS) among hospital trusts, general practices, and patients help to streamline patient care across sectors.1 However, this increased connectivity also raises the NHS's vulnerability to cyberattacks. Cyber threats targeting health-care systems are increasing on a global scale,2 but cybersecurity in health care has not advanced as fast as in other critical sectors such as energy, finance, and transportation. As bad actors become more sophisticated in perpetrating further attacks, discussions regarding the NHS’s resilience to cyberattacks have intensified.