01 June 2021

FODO Ireland member update - 1 June

This week:

• Ransomware attack update: impacts on primary eye care
• Other updates about the cybersecurity incident
• Warning: Bogus phone calls

Ransomware attack update: impacts on primary eye care

Further to our updates of 18 May and 21 May on the ransomware attack, we have continued working with colleagues at the AOI to ensure the Department of Health and HSE are fully aware that thousands of patients are missing out on essential eye care services because of ongoing IT issues.

We are also acutely aware that these IT issues negatively impact the entire health system, including in emergency medicine. We have tried to give HSE space to prioritise and get services up and running again. However, the ongoing delays in primary eye care settings mean we are pressing for an urgent meeting with HSE to help provide members with the certainty they need to meet patient needs locally and promptly.

Many of you who asked HSE for support have been told that it will communicate a sector response through representative bodies in due course. We are pushing for these updates on your behalf. In the meantime, can members please email examples of the scale of the backlog and potential harm so we can escalate this accordingly?

Other updates about the cybersecurity incident

HSE reports it made progress restoring some IT systems over the weekend. Still, many health systems continue to provide care "without access to critical IT systems or with limited access to these systems". It also confirmed that HSE staff email is still being restored in a phased way. Read more

The HSE has also acknowledged that sensitive patient data has been stolen, and it is working with authorities to minimise the impact. Read more.

Warning: Bogus phone calls

The Revenue has warned of bogus phone calls claiming that individuals are due a tax refund or required to pay an immediate tax bill and similar pressure tactics to gain access to bank details and personal data. The Revenue said: "This person is not calling from Revenue. Revenue never asks customers to provide personal information via telephone calls or text messages." Learn more.