SOUTH Essex hospitals say they are safe from hackers in the wake of an investigation that found cyber security flaws across the NHS.

An investigation showed NHS trusts are not providing enough protection to sensitive patient data.

An FOI request for information on levels of internet security at hospitals across the country showed some hospitals spent little on security to protect their systems.

Security experts working for Sky News found serious flaws in their cyber security, which could be easily exploited by relatively unskilled hackers.

The experts were able to find misconfigured email servers, outdated software and security certificates, along with NHS trusts’ emails and passwords, through public searches.

Seven NHS trusts, serving more than two million people, spent nothing on cybersecurity in 2015.

Southend and Basildon hospitals have so far remained safe from increasingly sophisticated hackers.

Alan Tuckwood, head of information technology at Southend Hospital, said: “The trust has invested in robust protection systems and experienced zero cyber security breaches to date.

“Prevention measures are tested regularly to ensure compliance with Information Governance security requirements. The Trust is an active member of NHS Digital`s Care Computer Emergency Response Team initiative and takes action proactively to combat cyber threats.”

A spokeswoman for Basildon Hospital said: “Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust takes all forms of security, including cyber security very seriously, investing money to ensure our systems are safe.

“Over the last two years we’ve had no data breaches due to cyber attacks. “

Hospital systems rely almost solely on computer systems, from monitoring patients’ conditions, issuing prescriptions and booking appointments.

But hackers could even send messages pretending to be from medical staff and a serious breach of hospitals’ computer systems could threaten lives.

Last week, two NHS trusts in Lincolnshire were forced to cancel operations after a virus infected their computer systems.

Derriford Hospital in Plymouth was also targeted by hackers and had to restore its systems from a back-up.