NRS Healthcare “working round the clock” to resume services following cyber security incident
Independent living aids manufacturer NRS Healthcare has continued to have its services disrupted by a cyber security incident which occurred on Good Friday (29 March).
The firms saw its phone lines, emails and website all affected with NRS service users turning to social media as they struggled to get in touch with the firm regarding the vital equipment they need for their homes.
As of today, NRS has confirmed that it is still dealing with the cyber security incident and apologises to those affected.
An NRS spokesperson commented to THIIS: “All our service centre phonelines are now operational, including our ‘out of hours’ lines which were unaffected throughout. We have been in regular contact with commissioners and prescribers, and specialist teams are working around the clock to restore full functionality safely and swiftly.
“From the outset we developed manual workarounds to enable the delivery and collection of equipment for service users in the community. A dedicated urgent@nrshealthcare.co.uk email channel was set up for service users with urgent requests and the website is updated with FAQs. All service centres have been operational for over a week and clinical teams are present to support managing risk, safeguarding and product identification.”
NRS stated that it informed the Information Commissioner’s Office about its data hack within the required timeframe.
Headquartered in Nottingham, NRS Healthcare is a supplier of mobility equipment and disability aids and provider of associated services helping the elderly and disabled live independently in their own homes.
It has contracts to supply equipment on outsourced contracts for many local authorities such as Doncaster Council, Plymouth Council and West Sussex County Council.
Community equipment supplier Medequip was also affected by a cyber hack at around the same time but has managed to avoid disruption to its services.
James Ibbotson, CEO of Medequip, commented to THIIS: “We recently identified an IT security incident and our investigation, alongside external specialists, is ongoing. We successfully minimised any disruption and all our operating systems continue to function as normal – we are processing, fulfilling and delivering all orders.
“We will continue to support our staff, liaise closely with our customers and cooperate with the relevant authorities.”
