Cyber attack on hospitals and other essentials

[katilea]

I've been thinking since the reporting of this cyber attack on NHS (and other businesses worldwide) what if it was trial run for a larger incident and what happen if next time they managed to completely bring the NHS system down so patient records were lost, would we still get prescriptions from our GP on the basis they knew us and knew what we needed or would they be unable to prescribe anything to anyone?

What if other services were also attacked? Utilities so people had no gas/electric? would local shops/supermarkets still sell food to people who had cash (assuming tills etc wouldn't work - I rely on internet shopping as housebound and everything been bought online and delivered to me)

How long would it be likely to last before Govt could get things up and running again? How would you plan if you knew it maybe a future possibility?

[pseudonym]

I have all my medical records on hard copy. Used them before when the Drs PCs crashed after an update, I also have hard copies of my prescriptions so I am covered there.

Cash on hand and my Preps would see me through for 6 months or so.

Any bills unpayable due to direct debit would also be unforceable by the companies who send the bills out...

Same for bills through the post... machines wouldn't read them... if they got through, I'd send a cheque that would be unreadable by the banks

Wood supply would cover heating and cooking.

[Le Mouse]

I have all my medical records on hard copy. Used them before when the Drs PCs crashed after an update, I also have hard copies of my prescriptions so I am covered there.

This might be a silly question and mildly off-topic, but how did you get your hard copy medical records? I was hard pressed to get a prognosis out of the hospital when I dislocated my knee, so I can't imagine being able to get all my records out of the GP surgery!

[pseudonym]

This might be a silly question and mildly off-topic, but how did you get your hard copy medical records? I was hard pressed to get a prognosis out of the hospital when I dislocated my knee, so I can't imagine being able to get all my records out of the GP surgery!

Patient Access

Depending on your Practice. I just asked the receptionist, filled in a form and 24 hrs later was connected.

It lets you use the online services of your local practice. These may include arranging appointments, repeat medication, secure messages, medical record and updating your details.

I just printed them all off.

I also got my Military medical records before I retired. But sssssshhhhh on those ones.

HTH

[Le Mouse]

[It lets you use the online services of your local practice. These may include arranging appointments, repeat medication, secure messages, medical record and updating your details.

Oh yes! I can do repeat prescriptions online. I just had a look at the rest of the site and it looks like the infrastructure is there, but it's currently unavailable for my surgery. Someone needs to make the decision and flick a switch. Next time I go pick up my meds, I'll pop in to the reception and have a word and see if its in the pipeline

This cyber attack made me really glad that I try and collect my meds a little early each time so I always still have some on hand. The pharmacy attached to my GP goes into meltdown if it gets just a bit busy, so I shudder to think what would happen if the prescription system went down. It's a shame that the repeat prescription system is a little more Big Brother than it used to be and regulates how often you can get a prescription. Just before I was made redundant and was moving back home a few years ago, I got stocked up on my inhalers so I was covered for the time it took to register with a new GP and get a job just by putting in requests rather more often than was *strictly* necessary, until I got caught out by a particularly officious pharmacist...

[Arzosah]

Hmmm. I never signed up to the online portion of my GP practice, if it gives me access to my records, even a summarised version, that would be very handy.

[Ahastyatom]

If you have a hard copy of your prescription you can get emergency medicine from the pharmacy. Not all pharmacys seem to know this but I've just showed them the Web page and managed to eventually get it. Ive done this before when on hols, just said that I've forgot my meds and need two weeks worth to give myself a bit of buffer. I think they can charge you the cost of the med rather then a prescription cost but I was just charged the price of a normal script. It may seem a bit deceitful but came in handy when my repeat date fell over a long bank hols one year. The new system would not allow the pharmacy to order the script early and as my drugs were order in rather than stock drugs, it meant I would be without for several days. Unbelievably their response/advice was to take myself to A&E once I ran out and if I did not have that extra stash I would of had to!

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1011.aspx?CategoryID=73

[medicmark]

just so you are aware the NHS does NOT have a joined up medical records service, the hospital, GP, Dentist and mental health services will all have their own records, and may have bits of each others but not all. as has been said previously you can get your records, each person in the family has to request there record and its about £10 a page, so if your like me with a long term condition it would be ridiculously expensive.
This is for hard copies.
I would suggest a basic record you can make yourself of conditions and treatments, which doctor treated you and the date, also have a copy of your prescription and update regularly as you would with rotating your preps.

[medicmark]

just a quick reply regarding medications, in a SHTF situation DO NOT GO TO A/E if you need meds, we dont have a stock of medications, and the ones we do have are not for specialist conditions such as insulins/hypertension/certain pain medications such as gabapentin for nerve pain or anti seizure medication such as lorazepam.

GO TO YOUR USUAL PHARMACIST.

[katilea]

What about Thyroxine and Loradatine? I'm sure I've got Thyroxine before from my hospital pharmacy. I was once rushed in with anaphylactic shock and had to stay overnight on a ward and they had Thyroxine to give me the next morning.