Some NHS trusts have suffered badly due to poor malware management

An interesting piece of work here by the folks over at Channel 4, the last remaining outpost of reasonable TV
news reporting in the UK since the demise of BBC news into a dumbed down,
animated celebrity magazine.

Over the past financial year over 8,000 viruses have
infected NHS computers resulting in cancelled appointments, diverted ambulances
and a whole load of distress to patients. Hospitals affected range far and wide
and include well known establishments such as the Royal London and Barts where
Mytob ran amok in the back end of 2008. The most bizarre infection occurred at
the West Middlesex Trust who allege that a Dictaphone became infected. Luckily the
virus didn’t spread any further than the
aforementioned tape recorder but my mind does boggle.

Trusts do have a high degree of autonomy when it comes to managing desktop computers and, like everywhere,
quality of IT staff varies. My biggest concern is the impact on patient care—an aspect often forgotten about by those embroiled in passing the blame.